Warped
by Persephone Rosamunde
Summary: SEQUEL TO TWISTED. After the loss of the princess, the scouts, generals, and Darien must face new foes and protect earth on their own. Follows Sailor R storyline.
1. Chapter 1

Thanks to everyone who has read change and twisted, and anyone who just found this one. Special thanks to all who review!

I know this is a bit of a slow start, but I wanted to kind of capture the reaction of the scouts to the aftermath of the battle against Metalia. It should pick pretty quickly.

I don't own Sailor Moon, if I did she would be a bit more mature and it likely would not be as entertaining.

* * *

Darien stood alone under the shade of the cherry blossom tree. He stood at the carved stone for several minutes before conjuring a single red rose to place on the ground in front of it. At the entrance of the cemetery, the generals and scouts stood, in civilian form.

"He's here every day," Amara said.

"He lost a lover," Michelle replied. "What do you expect?"

"It's nothing more than a stone. We don't even have a body."

"Because she turned to golden dust," Hotaru replied. "Darien just wanted some way to remember her."

"Have your parents mentioned anything?" Trista asked Mina.

Mina shook her head. "I asked, and they had no idea who I was talking to."

"You don't think Serena planned to die, do you?" Lita asked. "The silver crystal could have easily wiped their memories."

"But no one remembers her," Raye said. "It's like she never existed in the first place."

"But she did!" Amara said.

Michelle put a hand on Amara's arm. "We know that."

"Darien's not taking losing her well," Andrew said. "I've never seen him this upset."

"He was upset when his and Hotaru's parents died, but…" Trista shook her head. "This is different. He lost his memories in the accident."

"Trista, isn't there something we can do?" Hotaru asked. "You're the keeper of time, can't you-"

"I can't change what has already occurred. I'm not supposed to change what could occur either. But even I didn't see this coming."

"You can't bend the rules this one time?" Mina asked.

"I'm sorry. Time is fragile. We've been forced onto a path that we have no choice but to follow. Unfortunately this means we must learn to live without our princess."

Solemn glances were exchanged. Andrew leaned against a nearby tree.

"This is my fault," he said. "If she hadn't needed to rescue me-"

"You're not at fault," Mina argued wrapping her arms around him. "No one is."

"I think Serena knew it would happen," Amy suggested. "Why else would she have tried going alone?"

"It's a good thing we went with her though," Greg said. "She wouldn't have been strong enough to defeat Metalia otherwise. I don't think anyone expected Metalia to be so strong."

"Well, it's over now," Trista said. "We have to move on."

"She's not _your _cousin," Amara snapped.

Trista frowned. "No. But that doesn't mean she was nothing to me. But we have to be ready. Something tells me Metalia isn't our only enemy."

"I've sensed a change as well," Michelle added. "We should be ready for another enemy to show up."

Raye looked at the two slightly annoyed. "I haven't seen anything."

"I'm sure you will soon."

"Hey, where did the prince go?" Chad asked, drawing their attention back to Darien.

The earth prince was nowhere in sight.

"I'm sure he wants to be alone," Andrew said, tightening his hold on Mina. "I know I would if I lost my soul mate."

Mina smiled sadly, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek.

"I should get to work," Andrew said. "If anything happens, let me know."

"I have orchestra rehearsal in an hour," Michelle said.

"Grandpa wanted us to do some chores around the temple," Raye said, grabbing Chad's hand.

"We have cram school," Greg said, glancing at Amy.

"So we'll meet like normal tomorrow right?" Mina asked.

"It would be best," Trista replied. "We'll be more prepared if we all keep our eyes open to any signs of trouble. With Serenity gone, we'll have to concentrate all our focus on protecting earth."

"And Darien," Ken added.

Everyone nodded in agreement before breaking apart to go their separate ways.

* * *

Luna sat quietly on the windowsill. She stared out the darkened window at the night sky. The moon was full, casting a beautiful glow on the world outside. It wasn't odd to find the black cat in Serena's old apartment, not that it looked like Serena's apartment. Everything had been boxed up, and Mina's parents had assumed the last occupant, whose name they just could not remember, simply ran off. Luna looked at the photo she'd managed to drag out of one of the boxes, it was Mina and Serena. Serena said the photo had been taken just before her parents were killed and she became Sailor Moon. That was, of course, before Luna realized Serena was not only their princess, but also Sailor Moon. Serena had been more knowledgeable than any of them believed, and knew exactly who was who and wasn't at all surprised by Luna and Artemis' capability of speech.

She was just about to go back into Mina's when the sky lit up with a bright light, almost as bright as the silver crystal. Jumping to her feet, Luna watched the comet fall past the city buildings where she lost sight of it. The earth shook as the comet landed and Luna bolted outside hoping to regain her sight of it.

A crowd gathered before the small cat could arrive, she was met by Artemis and Mina, both awakened by the strange occurance. The three watched from the distance, unable to get any closer due to the crowd.

"What's going on?" Mina asked.

They looked at the large crater as the other inner scouts quickly joined them.

"Darien's over there too," Lita said. "Ken went to find him."

"It looked like a simple meteor but I'm not so sure," Luna noted. "You don't think…"

"This is the result of a new enemy?" Artemis finished.

"That seems to be exactly what this is," Trista said, as she joined them flanked by the outer scouts.

"We saw the meteor and came as soon as we could," Michelle said.

"Something seems wrong about this," Raye suddenly said. "There should be something, but the crater is empty. I don't sense any negative forces nearby."

"Whatever was in the crater is gone now," Amy added. "There should have been some small bit left over. If it left that large of a crater, there's no way any normal meteor would have burned up."

"Then we'll have to be on alert," Mina said. "We'll get this enemy before it gets strong. We can't lose anyone else."

* * *

A short distance from the crater, a young girl with long pink hair sat on the railing of a balcony. Beside her stood a boy with long blue hair.

"This planet is perfect for collecting energy," the girl, Ann, said.

"We don't know for sure yet. The Doom Tree might not respond. If it doesn't we can't stay here," her companion, Alan replied. "Until then, we'll have to disguise ourselves to blend in."

He slowly lifted his small flute to his lips, playing a soft tune that was carried away by the wind.

* * *

The next morning Lita, Mina, and Amy sat in their seats as Ms. Haruna welcomed a new girl into their classroom.

"Class, this is Ann Granger, a new student. I expect you all to welcome her and her brother, a grade ten student, into our school."

"Yes, Ms. Haruna," the class replied.

Ann smiled sweetly, taking the only empty seat in the class, which had once belonged to Serena. Mina stiffened slightly, an action that was noticed only by the other two sailor scouts. They gave her questioning looks of concern as Ms. Haruna brought the class back to their lessons. Mina smiled reassuringly before trying to focus her attention on the class.

As Ms. Haruna droned on, her thoughts strayed to the mysterious crater. She'd seen something about it on the news this morning, about scientists being perplexed that nothing was there. So something had to have made the crater, and somehow whatever it was simply left.

_We just happen to get new students the day after the meteor hits,_ Mina thought._ Seems fishy to me…_

* * *

Just because I feel I have to justify why I chose who I did for the generals:

Greg is Zoicite because he's the only one I could think of to make romantically involved with Amy. Same reasoning for Ken being Nephrite. Chad was a bit easier because he and Raye always seemed to have a thing for each other so it seemed logical to make him into Jadeite. And the reasoning for Andrew as Kunzite is that Andrew was Darien's best friend, and since Kunzite was the head guard (and in a lot of other fanfics seen as Endymion's best friend) it seemed to fit. Naturally their personalities (and appearances if anyone is trying to picture it) will change a bit to match the generals.

And I'm going with the Alan and Ann storyline for a reason (I'm pretty sure it was only in the anime, since I'm already past that time frame in the manga), mostly because I don't want to jump right into the black moon storyline. So it'll be a few chapters before Rini comes in. I won't put a lot into the Alan/Ann storyline, just enough to tell the story and move on so sorry to any Alan/Ann fans who I might disappoint by simply skimming their story. I know I liked them (mostly because of Alan's musical abilities) so I just had to put them in.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to reviewers:

Dark shadowed rose

MJ

BostonBill

Almvira

Candiandi97

LoveInTheBattleField

Jade Riddle 19 (sorry, but I can't answer that quite yet without major spoilers)

CherrySerenity-sama

TropicalRemix (sorry, but I can't answer that quite yet without major spoilers)

saveme57

inufan155687

CaseClosed621 (sorry, but I can't answer that quite yet without major spoilers)

and Anon (Hmm…Serena as the moonlight knight that would be an interesting sight to see, but no. As much as I love the Moonlight Knight, he will not make any appearance in this fanfic.

I was very surprised by the number of reviews for this chapter so thank you guys so much!

To the lovely reviewers who got the same answer (it was basically the same question) and anyone else wondering: If I told you IF or when Serena would be back, that would spoil my story. So I'm not saying she won't be back, but I'm also not saying she will. She is, after all, dead. There are plenty of stories without a Sailor Moon on here. But a couple of you are too smart for your own good… it's like you know what I'm planning…. I'll leave it to you to figure it out…

Sorry for the delay in updating, I tried to make this slightly longer than normal to make up for that. I also have limited internet connection, so I'm sorry to say every two weeks or so might be the limit on my updates, or once a month if I finally find a job. I have big plans for this story though (and even more twists!) so I'm excited to write it out.

Sadly, I don't own sailor moon (if i did, paying for college would be a snap). I times that statement by however many chapters this fic will be because I don't feel like trying to remember it for every chapter. So I don't own the wonderful story that is Sailor Moon but I will own two of the future characters who are not part of the series.

* * *

"Just because she took Serena's seat in class doesn't mean Ann and her brother are evil," Raye said, looking in annoyance at the Sailor Scouts' leader.

The other scouts seemed to be in some way agreeing with the statement, much to the blonde's dismay.

"There's been a lot of negative energy coming from the downtown region," Raye continued. "I haven't had a chance to find the cause yet."

"If you go take Chad," Andrew suggested. "If there is a new enemy, we have to be careful."

"Trista, is there any way you can tell us anything?" Greg inquired. "Even just a hint of who the new enemy might be?"

"I've made myself clear," Trista replied. "I can't reveal the future, especially if it could sway our path. I risk a lot trying to keep us going towards universal peace. I shouldn't even be here giving an opinion."

"But you're the one who most remembers the silver millennium," Hotaru replied. "And you're the oldest in this time so we like your wisdom."

"But Mina is still our leader," Amy said.

"Of the Inner Scouts, maybe," Amara replied. "Earth isn't even under our protection."

"Then don't protect it," Darien replied flatly. "No one is forcing you to be here."

All eyes flew to Darien, who had been silent at all previous meetings. He continued to stare out the window as if he hadn't even spoken.

"Darien, we do need the help of the sailor scouts," Andrew said gently. "I don't think the five of us are strong enough, especially since we seem to rely slightly on the ladies in this life for our own powers. If we fail to protect earth then Serena's sacrifice will have been in vain."

"If Beryl wasn't the only enemy we have, then her death was in vain," Darien spat out. "You think we're strong enough? Without Serena and the silver crystal, we have nothing!"

"We still have the silver crystal," Ken pointed out.

Darien subconsciously pulled the crystal from his inner pocket. He turned it over in his hand, the only physical reminder he had of his past lover.

"None of us can use it," Amy said.

"That's true," Artemis agreed. "Only a living member of Moon royalty is able to bring forth and use its power."

"But if that's true, then it's useless," Luna said. "It should have been destroyed when Serena drew her last breath."

"So someone is still left of the royal line," Michelle said softly. "Luna, is there someone other than Serenity who could harness the silver crystal's power?"

The black cat seemed to lose herself in distant memories for a second before shaking her head.

"If there is," Luna said, "I do not recall."

"Trista?" Hotaru asked.

"Serenity blocked many events in the past. If there is another heir to the Moon kingdom, I do not know. Even with her death, some things are guarded." Trista looked up as Darien pocketed the silver crystal and walked out.

Everyone flinched as the door slammed behind him.

"He misses Serena," Hotaru said.

"We all miss Serena," Amara replied. "It's not our fault he was never nice to her while she was alive."

"He didn't know who she was!"

"That doesn't excuse the way he treated her."

"He still liked her. Even before he knew she was Sailor Moon or the princess. Guys tease girls when they like them."

"Guys your age. Darien was an adult, he should have at least been mature about picking on a teenager. An underage teenager at that."

"That's enough," Michelle said, grabbing Amara's arm. "I think Hotaru is right. It's cute really, that he couldn't just admit to liking her. It's possible he was trying to push her away to keep them both out of trouble, since she was underage."

"It never stopped them in the silver millennium," Raye muttered.

"Love doesn't care about age," Mina added. "Trista, is there any way to get Serena back? Darien is miserable without her. She wasn't really supposed to die in this life, was she?"

Trista stared at them while contemplating how to answer. "No," she finally said. "Serena was to live a long and fulfilling life, as were the wishes of Queen Serenity. However, at the last moment the path seems to have changed and therefore we have to make the best of this. We can still protect earth and continue on without her. I suggest going back to pairs guarding the city twenty-four seven. Darien is excluded; being the prince we are to guard him as well. I believe Hotaru and I should be able to handle that. As far as we know the enemy isn't after him, if there is an enemy at all. When he isn't with Hotaru or myself he is usually at the arcade-"

"I can guard him there," Andrew said. "It is our duty after all, not the sailor scouts."

"When Serenity and Endymion married, the earth prince became our responsibility," Mina told him. "So we have to guard him too."

"Protecting Darien and figuring out if there's a new enemy," Lita said. "So much for going back to our normal lives."

* * *

Ann fumed as she and Alan walked around that afternoon.

"We have to do our best to blend in," Alan continued. "We have to at least act like brother and sister."

"You're only supposed to play that song for me," Ann complained. "And you played for every one of those hideous humans!"

"And you think I didn't see the smile you gave the boys?"

"I did not!" Ann crossed her arms, looking away from Alan. "I'd never stoop low enough to like these silly humans!"

He sighed. "Ann, we have to remember our life here is the only way we can keep the doom tree alive. We have to keep up our personas. No need to be jealous."

"Jealous? Who's jealous?" she snapped.

"You're going to ruin everything! You should know I'm not interested in any of them. Only you, Ann."

A man passing by bumped Ann's shoulder. She turned to yell at him, but instead gasped.

"He's perfect," Ann whispered to herself, following the man.

Alan continued on the way back to the Doom Tree, not realizing until a few minutes later that Ann was gone.

Ann watched the man absentmindedly brush his fingers across the petals of a red rose as he walked, in a direction unfamiliar to her but very familiar to the man. He stopped on the corner of a busy street, waiting as traffic rushed by in front of him. Just as Ann prepared to speak, she was overcome by a wave of weakness and collapsed against a lamppost.

Darien finally crossed the street, not hearing the weak cries from behind him. Alan ran to the girl's side as she slipped into sleep.

"She needs energy from the Doom Tree," he said aloud to himself. "And fast."

* * *

Alan sat on a limb of the Doom Tree playing on his flute as Ann absorbed more energy from the Doom Tree. When she finally awakened, he lowered the instrument.

"We have to get energy," he said to her as a stack of cards appeared in his hand. Alan fanned them out and held them up to Ann. "Pick a cardian, Ann. Our future depends on it."

Ann raised her hand and one of the cards floated up.

"A flower," Alan said. "Flowers can be poisonous, even deadly. Cardian I command you, send forth our servant Vampeel!" He raised the flute to play a few notes.

A monstrous flower appeared in front of them.

* * *

Sailors Uranus and Neptune were combing the streets for any signs of negative forces. At the sound of a scream both ran to the source, seeing a monster that resembled an ugly flower let go of a young woman it had just drained the energy from.

"World shaking!" Uranus shouted, letting loose an attack on the monster.

"Deep submerge!" Neptune followed.

Vines suddenly sprouted out, wrapping around the two scouts.

"It's draining…our energy," Neptune said.

"Fight it!" Uranus said, struggling against the vines.

Both girls slowly fell to their knees. A sword of flames appeared to cut them loose. Jadeite stood tall watching as Sailor Mars took over.

"Fire Soul!" the red scout shouted.

The monster burned out in the flames before changing back into a card that disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"What was that?" Jadeite asked.

"A new enemy?" Mars asked.

"We didn't anticipate someone like you on our planet," Alan said.

The three scouts and Jadeite turned to face the two new foes that had just appeared nearby.

"Your planet?" Uranus shouted.

"You sent that thing, didn't you?" Mars demanded.

"Just our way of getting acquainted," Ann sneered.

"See you again, Sailors," Alan said as the two vanished.

"Good timing," Neptune said. "Usually it's us saving you."

"I sensed a surge in energy. We decided to investigate," Mars explained. "Are you two okay?"

Michelle nodded while Amara glared at the spot that Alan and Ann had previously occupied.

"If they think we're going to stand by and let them take over a planet Serena died to protect, they better be ready for us," Amara growled.

Michelle smiled softly, taking Amara's hand. "I think we've all had enough for one night. Our shift is over. I believe Venus and Kunzite are taking over. We'll tell them to be on alert. I'm sure she'll call a meeting to discuss those two."

"What could they want?" Jadeite asked. "Why could they be attacking earth?"

"Who knows," Mars replied. "I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

* * *

So the flower monster thing was from the first episode of sailor R but I'm not sure if I got the name right. I was going on sound, not a character list or anything. Some of the lines were taken directly from the episode, but I tried changing it up as well as I could. And I kinda like how this is turning out so far. Reviews are much appreciated! I even accept anonymous reviews if you don't have a fanfic account! Energy from reviews will feed my Doom Tree!


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to reviewers:

LoveInTheBattleField

Shaded Truths (I'm supposed to be the dramatic one)

BostonBill

Lord Halcyon

TsukiyoTenshi (sorry, but I still can't answer that yet. It will be answered soon though. I promise)

Inufan155687

CherrySerenity-sama (As you see in this chapter, I couldn't really take Serena away from Alan...)

And CaseClosed621

Just a note, I skipped a few of the Cardians. Since I didn't really use Beryl's youmas, I figured I should at least try to use some of the same monsters used in the anime by Alan and Ann. However, I wanted to kind of focus on the plant-like ones (since it is, after all, a Doom TREE), so several were skipped.

On another note, I'm done writing my other fanfic, and so this is currently the only thing I have besides original works. Therefore, this has 100% of my fanfiction focus. Still no job, so I might just have enough time to update at least once a week. Still no promises though. When I have time, writer's block sets in.

And since my internet is on the fritz again, updates might not always be as often as i like.

Thanks so much for the many reviews! They make me want to write, so if you want to read more and more often keep them coming! I really appreciate them, and I still look back at the reviews I recieved from Twisted and even Change when I get stuck. I've noticed a lot of people have read the stories since then, so I'm happy you're still with me!

* * *

Mina stirred the melted milkshake. Gesturing for another worker to take a table of high school students, Andrew took off his apron and leaned on the counter across from her.

"Mina?"

The blonde looked up.

"What's up? Ever since the meeting yesterday, you've been out of it."

"It's just...weird having a new enemy. It took all we had to defeat Beryl. Amara and Michelle thought this enemy was stronger, what if we don't stand a chance? What if…what if we need the silver crystal?"

"Aren't Luna and Artemis looking into someone who might be able to use it?"

"Serenity was an only child. I'm sure of it."

"If she blocked the final battle, I'm sure she could prevent us from learning about a sibling," Andrew pointed out.

"Yes, but the only holes in our memories are near end. After she and Endymion were married. I know that was when the scouts took on a lot of training, but we still saw the two occasionally. I mean it was several years before earth attacked the Moon Kingdom."

"Mina, you don't think…Serenity and Endymion had a child…do you?"

Mina's eyes widened. "Andrew, that's it! Serena wouldn't have wanted the negaverse to go after the child, so she blocked him or her from our memory! I have to call a meeting now!"

"Whoa it was just a suggestion," Andrew said. "We don't know for sure."

"If we can find this child, they should be able to wield the silver crystal! If Queen Serenity sent everyone into the future, it's likely everyone was sent into the future. If the princess had a daughter, or even a son, the bloodline continues on!"

"Even if the prince and princess had a child, what are the odds of us just stumbling upon this kid?"

"Luna and Artemis might be able to…or Raye or even Hotaru or Michelle…surely they could sense another one of us. Raye could ask the fire or-"

"Mina, I think if Queen Serenity sent a child into this future…she would have made the child born to Serena and Darien. So unless Darien kept something from me, and Serena kept something from you, I don't think we'll be seeing their child anytime soon."

Mina stared down at the countertop. "You're probably right. I'm gonna go talk to Raye though."

"Alright. My shift is over in an hour. I'll meet you at the temple?"

Mina nodded. "The inner scouts are meeting about training. I'm sure Chad will hang around, and Amy and Lita will likely bring Greg and Ken. I'll see you later."

Andrew nodded before getting back to work.

Mina picked up her bag, swooping it onto her shoulder and causing a few papers to fall out including the photo she managed to find of her cousin. As she reached for it another hand shot out to pick up the photo. The young man straightened, staring at the picture.

"That's mine," Mina said.

"Who is this? She looks like you, but…she isn't you."

"It's my cousin. Give it back."

The young man looked at the photo a moment longer before handing it over. "What's her name?"

"Her name was Serena. She's dead."

"Dead? Surely not."

"Well she is. So just leave me alone."

"You're…Mina right? My sister, Ann is in your class. I'm Alan Granger. It's nice to meet you."

Mina continued to force a glare. "I have to go." She turned and stormed off.

"Serena," Alan whispered.

* * *

Darien glanced up as a young girl stopped in front of where he sat in the middle of the park.

"Darien, right?" she asked.

Darien didn't answer, and instead wondered how in the world she knew who he was.

"I'm Ann Granger. I was told you could tutor me in math?"

"I'm not currently able to tutor high school students," Darien replied. "But I can give your name to the professor who arranges tutoring-"

"No. Nevermind. I'm sure I could find someone…"

Darien looked at her questioningly before he glanced at his watch. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

Before Ann could reply Darien was walking away. Crossing her arms in annoyance, Ann glared after him.

"Stupid humans," she muttered. "Mark my words, Darien Shields, you will be mine."

"Ann!" Alan called. "I've been looking everywhere for you. We have to get back to the Doom Tree."

"You think I don't know that. Where have you been? Playing for those filthy human girls again?"

"I was looking for you." He smiled and morphed into his alien form. "Pick a Cardian Ann."

Ann smiled, also changing in appearance. Just like before she pointed to one of the cards Alan fanned out. It floated into the air.

"A tree," Alan said. "Certainly this one won't let us down. Cardian I command you, send forth our servant Racy!"

* * *

"Any scouts nearby the park, we could use some help!" Lita called through the communicator.

Trista and Hotaru glanced at each other before glancing at Darien, who had heard the call.

"Go," he said.

"Are you going too?" Hotaru asked.

"Just go." He sat down on a bench outside of the park entrance and pulled out a textbook.

The girls nodded.

"Pluto Planet Power!"

"Saturn Planet Power!"

"Make up!"

The two scouts rushed to the center of park, where they could now hear some sort of battle.

"Silence glaive!" Saturn called, aiming at the tree-like woman.

The Cardian dodged the attack. As it moved, it shot out its tree branch arms to ensnare Sailor Jupiter and Nephrite. Both struggled weakly against the hold as it began draining their energy.

"Deadly-"

A branch broke off from one of the arms to capture Pluto as well. Saturn pressed a button on her communicator to summon more help as Racy's attention focused to her. A red rose appeared in the branch's path as it neared the violet scout.

"Trees are supposed to be a thing of beauty, not treacherous enemies!" Tuxedo Mask shouted from his perch on a nearby tree. "I don't know who you're working for but the Sailor Scouts and Earth Generals will stop you!"

"Fire soul!"

"World Shaking!"

With attacks at two different angles, the Cardian was unable to move in time. It returned to its card form and crumpled into black dust. Mars ran onto the scene, followed closely by Sailor Uranus, Neptune, Mercury, and Venus. Tuxedo Mask jumped down from the tree and joined the scouts.

"You're gonna pay for that sailor scouts!" Ann sneered.

"Are you the one sending those things?" Jupiter demanded.

"So what if we are?"

"We need human energy," Alan said. "We won't stand for anyone standing in our way. Next time you won't walk away from a battle."

The pair turned and vanished.

"What do you think they need energy for?" Saturn asked.

Tuxedo Mask changed back into Darien. "Whatever it is, people are in danger. They must be stopped."

"We'll have to be careful," Neptune said. "If they sense the amount of energy we possess, they will likely target us. Especially the prince."

"There's no point in worrying about me," Darien said. "Let's go home, Hotaru."

Saturn nodded, de-transforming. Once the two were out of sight, Pluto turned to the other scouts.

"I don't like the look of those two," she said. "I have a bad feeling about them."

"Have you seen something bad?" Jupiter asked.

Pluto didn't answer.

"Something is going to happen," Mars told them. "I've been seeing things in the fire. We have more enemies than just those two to worry about. I have to go. Grandpa and Chad will go mad if they realize I'm gone."

"We should keep moving too," Jupiter said, glancing at Nephrite. "They might send more of those things."

"I'm already late for cram school," Mercury added.

The small group left, leaving only the three outer scouts and Venus.

"I have a confession," Pluto said.

Uranus and Neptune turned to her questioningly.

"I can't access the timeline in this life," Pluto said. "What I know is from what Queen Serenity was told during the silver millennium. She's appeared to me in dreams, but she can only say what the time line showed then. It's why I wasn't expecting Serena's death."

"How is it possible that you cannot access the time gate?" Neptune asked.

"The princess destroyed it, during the final battle. Queen Serenity is close to restoring it. When she does, I will be expected to guard it once again."

"Meaning one less sailor scout to protect earth," Venus realized.

"I have told Queen Serenity that I will not leave to guard the time gate until absolutely necessary."

"We could manage without you if we had to," Uranus replied.

"But we don't want to," Venus argued. "Do you really have to guard the time gate? We could really use you here."

"If things were as they once were meant to be," Pluto began, "I would not be needed. None of the outer scouts would be. When Beryl murdered Serena's parents and Serena decided not to awaken any of the scouts, it changed everything. Earth may never see a time of peace, and I can't even access the likely outcomes."

"If we find a way to control the silver crystal, without Serena, we should be able to destroy the negaverse once and for all," Neptune said.

"But no one can control it," Uranus replied.

"I have a theory," Venus said softly. "What if there was someone else on the moon with the ability to control the crystal?"

"Are you suggesting Serenity had a sibling?" Neptune asked.

"A daughter," Pluto replied.

Venus blinked, looking to the older scout in confusion.

"Queen Serenity told me that a daughter was born to the prince and princess almost a year after their marriage. She would not give me details, but she did say that the girl had the mark of the moon."

"Meaning she could control the crystal," Uranus concluded.

"But only Serena remembered the child, and she made sure none of us would. Queen Serenity believes it was to protect her," Pluto said.

"But with Serena gone, there's no way for any of us to remember," Neptune said. "We have nothing to go on to even find her."

"Queen Serenity doesn't even know if the daughter was sent into this time," Pluto continued. "The girl was in the time gate at the time of the collapse."

"She could still be in the time gate?"

"No. That was how she and I were killed. Of that I am positive. However, it is impossible to know if she was far enough in the time gate to be eternally trapped there or if she had just entered and was, like me, sent to the future. For all we know, she is alive and well right under our noses. With our memories blocked, I do not believe we will find her."

"Serena why'd you have to go blocking everything?" Venus muttered.

* * *

"Those sailor scouts seemed mighty high in energy. Maybe we should capture one of them to give to the Doom Tree," Ann suggested.

Alan lowered his flute. "I sensed quite a bit of energy from your boyfriend. He would likely be easier to capture."

"Alan! I won't let you anywhere near Darien!" Ann crossed her arms and turned away. "I'm surprised you didn't try charming those girls. Weren't they attractive enough in their skimpy little outfits?"

Alan sighed, lifting his flute to start playing a song. Annoyed, Ann stalked off.

_I can't really tell her about Serena,_ Alan thought. _Not that it matters, since that girl said Serena was dead. So why can't I stop thinking about her? I really don't want to hurt Ann, but there's something about Serena…_

* * *

Just because I'm curious, I kind of want to take a poll (The question kind of spoils things too...so if you don't want spoilers I suggest you skim this note). Who do you think will show up first (in any form, not necessarily alive in Serena's case): Serena or Rini? I already know the answer, so who you say will not change a thing. Let me know what you think! (yes, that was a hint to review (mostly a hint to people who don't review every chapter but those who do are welcome to keep reviewing because it's nice to know you haven't gotten bored with the story yet)


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to reviewers:

Inufan155687 (Serena almost appeared in spirit form in this chapter actually, but I cut that part out)

Shaded Truths

Candiandi97

dark shadowed rose (Hmm...falling out of the time gate. Wish I'd of thought of that.)

CaseClosed621

narsenic

TsukiyoTenshi

LoveInTheBattleField

And Markus777 : I found your details on what you thought would happen next, wish I would have thought of something like that… Rini wishing on the silver crystal would have been interesting. Unfortunately I already have plans for Rini, and they don't involve bringing Sailor Moon back to life.

Author's Note: I have the next couple chapters outlined (The Alan/Ann/Doom Tree arc will likely end in the next chapter). It's short, but they didn't have much of a point in the anime either. I know how exactly how the rest of this is gonna play out (though I have known what twists I've planned to throw in for a while now), it should end up being at least as long as twisted, possibly longer. Depending on how much I get into the black moon clan. I have much fun planned with them…some things you've likely seen before, others I hope are new. This chapter is a bit long, mostly bc I was annoyed after a bad day and writing is my way of getting rid of frustration...I write a lot...

Anyway, I've blabbed more than usual and no one reads these anyway, so on with Warped.

* * *

"Blocked memories or not, I would remember a newborn Moon Princess," Luna said haughtily

"It's just a suggestion," Mina replied. "I'm not the only one who's wondering."

"Queen Serenity confirmed it," Trista added. "Serenity and Endymion had a child."

The nine scouts were all gathered in Raye's room. They would have met elsewhere, but they wanted to keep their discussion away from the guys, especially Darien. So they decided to meet right after school, before any of the guys would be around to notice their presence.

"Any child of the prince and princess would be extremely powerful," Raye said. "Either one of us would have sensed it, or something would have occurred to draw our attention. Anyway, Serena wouldn't block that. Even if she did, she would have unblocked it before she died. She would want us to protect the child."

"What if the child hasn't been born yet?" Amy asked.

Silence befell the room as one by one everyone looked to her. She lowered her book.

"You have to think," she explained. "We're all about the same difference in age as we were during the Silver Millennium. Therefore it's unlikely the child will be born until we reach the ages we were when she was born originally. I have to say, Luna, the theory does make sense. If there was no destined heir to the Moon Kingdom, the silver crystal would have been destroyed. You and Artemis are sure of that. Even though there is no current being able to wield the silver crystal, it's possible there will be. We just won't know when."

Mina groaned. "I swear if we're reborn again, I'm murdering Serena before she can go blocking our memories!"

"Queen Serenity blocked your memories as well," Artemis pointed out. "If she hadn't, you would have known everything about the Silver Millennium upon birth. As you can guess, that would have had terrible consequences."

"Artemis, is there any way you can contact Queen Serenity to ask her to help us?" Michelle asked.

"I'm afraid not."

"Queen Serenity cannot appear when summoned, only when she wishes too," Luna said. "It's likely she doesn't plan to visit any of you again because she cannot keep getting involved. We may never hear from her again."

"Because it would alter the time line," Trista whispered. "If she keeps telling us what to do. The decisions must be ours, without us knowing where the paths will lead."

"Mina, did Serena spend any time with a particular child?" Hotaru asked.

"You were the youngest friend I knew of," Mina answered. "Serena really didn't spend much time with anyone after her parents and brother died…I guess that was when she started all her Sailor Moon business."

"She'd been fighting longer than any of us really," Lita said. "Her and Darien."

"It's strange to think the prince and princess were the first to awaken."

"Darien hasn't awakened as Prince Endymion," Hotaru said softly.

"What do you mean?" Trista asked. "I thought once Beryl kidnapped him…"

"He still doesn't remember. Just the dreams, and the princess…he still can't see her face. But now he knows it's Serena because of the voice. He doesn't have the dreams anymore though. He doesn't sleep."

"I don't think any of us really do," Mina whispered. "It's hitting Darien the worst though. He lost his soul mate."

Amara shook her head. "If he didn't remember her-"

"Hotaru, he said he got his memories back," Trista said. "Why would he lie?"

Hotaru shrugged. "He doesn't want us to think less of him I guess. He wonders if Serena didn't want him to remember. He and the generals all think she planned to die in this life."

"Chad and I were talking," Raye said. "I think she did too. Not Serena, I think Serenity decided if she died, we could live. I remember how adamant she was about learning at least some skills."

"Remember the time she tried blackmailing me into teaching her self-defense?" Lita asked.

Mina smiled. "Or the time she snuck away to the army training camps?"

"After she met Endymion we always had to chase her to earth," Amy replied. "Before earth fell I think we spend more time here than on the Moon."

"What about-"

"We should focus more on those aliens," Amara said, interrupting the Inner Scouts' memories. "We have to stop them before they get any stronger."

Michelle frowned at her partner, but rejoined the discussion as they turned to more serious matters.

* * *

"Something upset you earlier at the meeting," Michelle said later that night. "What was it?"

The sandy blonde looked up at her companion. She had been sitting near the window since they left Raye's temple. She had simply gotten up and moved to her car, only waiting for Michelle to say goodbye before driving them home. Amara and Michelle had only spent a week or so in the same apartment, at Michelle's suggestion they become roommates to make the scout business easier. So Amara decided not to renew the lease on her apartment, and simply move into Michelle's, which was not only nicer but at least three times the size.

"Nothing," Amara finally said, looking back to the city below.

"Amara-"

"Don't you have orchestra rehearsal?"

"Tomorrow."

Michelle sat on the edge of the window seat, reaching for Amara's hand.

"Why does it upset you so much when they talk about the princess?" she asked. "I understand she's your cousin…but…I can't help but sense there's something else."

"Do you remember Serenity? Do you have a distinct memory? Do you remember her at all?"

Michelle leaned against the wall, seeming distant for a moment. "I have a few memories. I remember teaching her to swim. She was a quick learner. Only a few lessons were necessary. Then when she was older, I helped her music instructors."

"I don't have any memories of Serenity," Amara admitted. "I barely remember what she looked like. I just know I'm supposed to protect her. I didn't care about anything but protecting her. I didn't even know her."

"Is that what's been bothering you?"

"I have more memories of my time with her in this life. I spent more time with her. I knew her better…"

"You knew her well enough in the silver millennium. She was your cousin then, if I recall. Every time Queen Serenity would bring around a possible suitor, all the princess had to do was call you in. You wouldn't let anyone near her," Michelle said with a laugh.

Amara smiled softly.

"Amara, none of us were particularly close to her in the silver millennium. We kept ourselves at a distance because we knew at any moment our lives could be forfeit for hers. We weren't supposed to be close to her. Even the inner scouts weren't, though we always thought they were more friends than anything. The four of us outer scouts were usually busier with guarding the planets in the alliance, than just the princess."

"We weren't allowed to be close to her."

"Exactly. So don't let it hurt you that the inner scouts were with her more. In this life I think you've more than made up for it. Even from just what you told me, you and Serena were as close as sisters. You certainly looked out for her like an older sister."

"But I couldn't protect her when it mattered."

"None of us could. In either lifetime."

* * *

"Alan, the Doom Tree is still dying, what are we gonna do?" Ann whined. "The energy we're gathering isn't working."  
"It's just not strong enough," Alan replied. "Maybe we should hunt down one of those Sailor Scouts…"

"Or all of them, they're bound to have endless energy. And it would get rid of them."

"But we can't send another Cardian. We'll have to do this ourselves, and bring them straight to the Doom Tree."

Ann smiled wickedly. "Which ones should we start with?"

"How about the youngest?"

* * *

"Come on, Darien, where are you?" Hotaru muttered, watching as the last student left the school.

Thunder rumbled overhead and she groaned as she got up and started running home. When rain started falling, she ducked into the overhanging of a closed shop and leaned back against the wall.

"Hey, are you lost?" someone called, stopping as they passed to raise her umbrella slightly.

Hotaru peered into the rain, seeing the red hair and uniform similar to what she'd seen Serena and her friends wear.

Hotaru shook her head. "Just waiting for the rain to stop."

Ann stepped under the awning and smiled sweetly. "I can walk you home if you'd like."

"You're that girl that's been annoying Darien," Hotaru realized.

"Darien? You know him?"

"He's my brother."

_Darien's related to one of the sailor scouts,_ Ann thought. _He can't be. I can sense the energy from her, but he's just a week human…_

"Well come on, I wouldn't want Darien's little sister to be stuck in a storm like this," Ann said.

"I think I'd rather wait here."

"I don't bite."

"I said no!"

"Hotaru!" Darien called.

Ann glared at the younger girl, instantly changing to her alien appearance. "You don't have a choice."

"Get away from her!" Darien shouted, dropping his own umbrella and books as he spotted Ann, who was then joined by Alan.

"Time to go, Ann," Alan said.

"Darien!" Hotaru cried.

Darien lunged forward as the two teleported away, taking Hotaru with them.

"Darien!" Sailor Pluto called.

She quickly ran to him, followed by the other scouts and the four generals. Pluto's face fell as she realized they were too late.

* * *

"Why Hotaru?" Lita asked. "Just because she was the youngest?"

"They probably thought she would be easy to snatch," Amara replied. "They were right. We should have gotten there sooner."

"I figured it out!" Raye shouted, returning from her fire reading. "There's a new apartment building a few blocks away. The owner mysteriously vanished, so no one has been able to live there. However, I'm certain that's where these aliens are basing their little operation."

"The female's name was Ann," Darien said. "That's what she was called."

"I wonder if that means the man is Alan," Amy wondered.

"Told you so," Mina muttered.

"Alan and Ann are aliens?" Ken asked. "I thought you said they were in your school."

"They are," Lita replied.

"It must have been for them to blend in," Michelle said.

"It'll probably take all of us," Mina said. "Judging by the strength of those plant things they sent we're in for a problem."

Darien suddenly stood up and grabbed his bag, madly tearing through it and scattering papers and books around it.

"Darien, what are you doing?" Andrew said.

Darien pulled his usual rose from his inner pocket and tore his green jacket off to practically dig into it. "The silver crystal…it's gone."

"What?" Luna and Artemis explained.

"Are you sure?" Trista asked.

"Did you just leave it at home?" Andrew asked.

"I always kept it with the rose…"

"How could you lose something like that?" Amara shouted. "You shouldn't have even had it in the first place!"

"We don't have time to worry about the crystal right now, unless you want us to lose Hotaru too!" Mina replied. "Andrew, you and the generals stay with Darien. Try to find the crystal. We'll rescue Hotaru."

"No," Darien said. "Hotaru is my sister. If you think I'm going to be able to search for the crystal with her being kidnapped, you're wrong."

"Then let's go," Andrew said, transforming himself into Kunzite.

The other generals followed suite. The seven sailor scouts, four generals, and Tuxedo Mask rushed to the center of the energy. Sailor Mars led them, but stopped when they got close.

"What is it, Raye?" Venus asked before her eyes widened.

"That wasn't there before," Lita said.

From the previously plain building, large roots and branches stuck out from windows, suggesting a tree had quickly grown through the building.

"How are we supposed to get in there?" Ken asked.

"There has to be some way for us to get in," Luna said. "We have to find something."

As if hearing him, roots near what had once been the front doors of the building parted revealing a dark passage inside. Tuxedo Mask was the first to step towards it, but was stopped by Pluto.

"Are you crazy?" she demanded. "It could be a trap."

"We don't even really know what we're up against," Artemis added.

"You guys, I don't sense evil coming from this tree," Mars said.

"It's oddly calm," Neptune agreed.

"Maybe it's not really evil," Jupiter suggested.

"Then it's safe," Tuxedo Mask replied, glaring at Pluto. "If you're worried, stay here. I'm going in."

He slowly approached the building. As he motioned for the generals to follow, a quick flash of pink caught his eye.

"What is it?" Kunzite asked.

Watching the shadow disappear, Darien shook his head. The group entered the dark cavern-like entrance. As soon as the last of the girls entered, it sealed itself shut.

"What the-"

"It's a trap!" Uranus growled.

Venus suddenly screamed as she was lifted up by one of the roots. As the others rushed to her aid, the tree came to life, capturing each of the scouts and dragging them further into the building. When the tree was finally still again, the scouts found themselves at the base of it, where Hotaru was lying. She weakly opened her eyes before the branches around her tightened once more.

"Hotaru!" Tuxedo Mask shouted, fighting the wooden restraints.

"Now now," Alan said. "Wait your turn!"

"Ann! Let my sister go!"

"Your sister?" Ann questioned. "Darien? Doom Tree let him go!"

"Stop it, Ann! Don't you see he's with them!" Alan replied.

"It's feeding off Hotaru's energy!" Mercury said.

"And ours," Zoicite added. "We have to get out of here!"

"Doom Tree! I command you! Let Darien go!" Ann shouted.

"NO!" Alan argued. "Drain him of energy first! Then finish up the sailor scouts and their boy toys!"

The Doom Tree continued to grow, defying the orders from the two aliens. As it turned its attention to the new sources of energy, Hotaru was released.

"Get out of here, Hotaru!" Tuxedo Mask shouted. "Go!"

Ignoring him, Hotaru rose up, pulling out her transformation pen. "Saturn Planet Power! Make up!"

"Hotaru!" Pluto shouted as she joined them as the Doom Tree's prisoner.

"It's getting too strong!" Ann said. "Alan!"

The Doom Tree roared to life, refusing to let go of the scouts and generals while capturing its own caretakers.

"Ann!"

"Alan!"

* * *

So, by a landslide everyone thinks Rini will appear before any form of Serena. No one said Serena, which actually surprised me because I figured with everyone expecting her back you would all think she was coming soon. It was really interesting to hear what everyone thought (or hoped) would happen though.

Anyway, the correct answer is…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

… going to be revealed in the next chapter. ;) I gave a couple hints in this chapter, but they might mislead everyone. I'll update within a week.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to reviewers:

Shaded Truths

dark shadowed rose

Candiandi97

CaseClosed621 (I take very great pride in being evil. Thank you for noticing.)

Markuss777

saveme57

Jazz379705

and LoveInTheBattleField

So, I just kinda skimmed the Doom Tree's story. I just kind of summarized it. So sorry for the shortness. And the choppiness of this chapter. It was definitely rushed.

This will likely be my last update for a while. I got a job working as a camp counselor :( so I'll basically be gone all summer (starting tomorrow, which is funny since I had the interview over the phone today…). But I'll take a notebook, and maybe get something written up so if I am able to return to civilization at any time I will be able to type and post. My sincerest apologies. If anything though, I'll mentally write it out and by the time my time at camp is done, I'll be able to crank out chapters like there's no tomorrow.

Anyway, let's find out whether we meet Serena or Rini first... I was very surprised by how many people guessed wrong. I was afriad I made it too obvious, which is why a small bit in the last chapter was there to decieve you...

* * *

"_It's getting too strong!" Ann said. "Alan!"_

_The Doom Tree roared to life, refusing to let go of the scouts and generals while capturing its own caretakers._

"_Ann!"_

"_Alan!"_

* * *

The Doom Tree continued its fit of rampage and everyone was pulled around through the air. As more energy was drained from the captives, a golden disk suddenly sliced through the air. The Doom Tree growled as the roots were cut, freeing the scouts.

"If you want energy from the Sailor Scouts, and Earth's guardians, you'll have to go through me!"

"Sailor Moon!" Luna cried joyously.

"That hair…" Alan whispered. "Serena…"

"Serena?" Ann questioned. "Who's Serena?"

Sailor Moon glanced at him questioningly before dodging a root. She jumped and landed beside Tuxedo Mask, who stared at her in shock.

"Serena, we might be able to help the tree!" Mars called.

Moon nodded, the crescent moon wand appearing in her hand.

Ann suddenly held up her hand, causing Sailor Moon to be pushed back by an invisible force. Tuxedo Mask jumped up to help her, his arms tightening around her and not letting go, even when the force was gone.

"Fight now, ask questions later," she muttered, pulling away only letting their hands remain intertwined.

Ann's eyes narrowed at the gesture. Before they knew it, the two lovers found themselves being assaulted by the jealous girl's attacks. As they tumbled and flew over the strangely stationary roots, their hands stayed together. They suddenly landed sprawled along the floor as Alan grabbed his companion.

"Ann, stop! Can't you see how deeply they care for one another?"

"If I can't have Darien no one will!"

The Doom Tree suddenly turned on its caregivers, attacking them just as relentlessly as Ann had attacked Sailor Moon and Darien. Alan suddenly tripped, crashing to the floor. One of the roots charged at him, threatening certain death.

"NO! I won't let you hurt him!" Ann shouted, jumping into the sharpened root's path.

"No!" Alan cried out as Ann dropped into his arms.

"Alan," Ann whispered.

"Ann! I never lied Ann, you truly are the only one I love." He bowed his head, waiting for death as the root pulled back to strike again.

"Stop!" Sailor Moon cried.

The tree froze. "And why should I, Sailor Moon?"

"You can talk," she said in surprise.

"Yes. I have been too weak until now. The energy from the relations of you and your friends was enough to revive me, but not for long. I have reached the end of my life, Sailor Moon, but you should really know my story."

The other scouts and generals were released before the tree continued.

"I was known as the Tree of Light," it said. "I lived on a small island alone, on a planet far away. In time, I created beings of life. My children thrived on happiness and love, until one day they began to turn evil and fight for power of their brothers and sisters. I fled with survivors, who eventually dwindled down to Alan and Ann. They have never known love, only hatred. But now they have realized there are positive emotions, they will be strong enough to continue on."

In a flash of light, the Doom Tree disappeared. In place of the once great trunk sat a tiny sapling.

"It's gone," Saturn said.

"Ann," Alan whispered, holding her closely to him.

Sailor Moon knelt beside them. She held her hand over Ann's wound and a golden glow surrounded them. A moment later, Ann slowly opened her eyes.

"The Doom Tree!" she said, sitting up to look around.

"It's gone, Ann," Alan said, holding out his hands so the sapling would float to him. "We can start over."

She smiled and nodded. "No more Doom Tree?"

"No more evil," Alan corrected. "Thank you, Sailor Scouts, earth guardians."

He and Ann rose to their feet, facing the group.

"We will never forget any of you," he said.

* * *

"It's nice that we didn't have to destroy anyone this time," Hotaru said.

Everyone but Darien nodded in their agreement as they sat inside the Crown Arcade.

"They're going to find their own planet," Michelle said. "Where they can live together in peace."

"And for now, we can live in peace," Chad added.

Mina suddenly glared at her cousin, but was unwilling to do so for long before pulling her into another tight embrace.

"I missed you!"

"You never told us what happened," Raye said, sounding slightly annoyed.

"We thought you were dead!" Amara growled. "Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea what you've put us through?"

"I'm sorry. I was in the Moon Palace," Serena explained. "When I realized there was a new enemy I got back as soon as I could."

"The Moon Palace?" Amy questioned. "But it was destroyed thousands of years ago. Surely there's nothing left of it now."

"Mostly ruins," Serena admitted. "I wanted to talk to Queen Serenity."

"Did you?" Luna asked.

Serena nodded. "Beryl wasn't the last enemy, and neither were Alan and Ann. In the next few years we'll be faced with countless foes. We have to be ready."

"She's okay with you fighting?" Luna asked.

Her gaze fell once more to Darien who suddenly got up and left.

"You should go after him," Mina suggested. "You can explain yourself to us later. We're gonna meet at Raye's after school Monday."

"Darien really missed you," Hotaru added.

Serena nodded, rising and slowly leaving.

"Darien just wants her alive," Andrew said.

"If what she says is right and there are new enemies," Trista said. "Serena is in great danger. Darien knows that. She has the most powerful crystal in the universe."

"Speaking of," Greg said. "With Serena showing up we never figured out where it went."

* * *

Serena ran to the park and spotted Darien leaning over the railing of the stone bridge overlooking the lake. She stopped a short distance away before slowly approaching him.

"Darien?"

He looked to her for a moment before turning to watch the ducks.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know I shouldn't have just left right after a battle but-"

"You turned to dust in my arms," he said. "The silver crystal…it's still missing."

Serena caught him as he started away. She pulled the small pink compact from the pocket of her light pink jacket. Inside sat the full silver crystal, not just the shard she'd had before the final faceoff against Beryl and Metalia.

"How did you…?"

"Thank you for keeping it for me, but it really is only useful for someone of the lunar race."

"I had it in my pocket."

"You really should be more careful falling asleep at the library."

"Meatball Head entered a library?"

Serena blinked, not expecting his teasing. Darien offered a small smile.

"You're not mad at me?"

"I'm furious," he replied. "But I can't stop you from keeping up the Sailor Moon persona."

"No. You can't."

"But I can still protect you," Darien said, summoning a red rose.

He handed the flower to Serena, who held the rose closely to her. The two remained in a comfortable silence for a while, watching the world continue on around them.

"I finally got my memories back.\," he said.

Serena gave him a questioning look.

"At least up to the memories you have blocked," he corrected. "But…I want to start over. You're not Serenity, and I'm not Endymion. We're just Meatball Head and Darien."

"Serena and the Jerk!"

Darien chuckled, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him. He slid an arm around her waist and the two strolled through the park. Serena leaned into him, sighing contently.

"Go on a date with me," Darien suddenly said.

Serena stopped, looking up at him in surprise. "What?"

"A date," he said. "With me."

"You're serious?"

"Yes, Serena."

"But I…you…we…" She suddenly stopped to throw her arms around his neck. "Yes!"

Darien laughed and held her close.

_Maybe we will be okay_, Serena thought.

* * *

"He what?" Mina, Raye, and Lita shrieked.

Serena laughed at the other girls. Amy glanced up from her book in surprise, but remained silent. The five girls had decided on a sleepover to get reacquainted. Since it seemed they were safe for now, it seemed the perfect time to relax.

"It's just a date," Serena said, blushing slightly.

"With Darien Shields," Mina stressed.

"You have a boyfriend," Lita replied, bumping her shoulder.

"What did I miss?" Serena asked.

"Andrew asked me out…" Mina told her.

"And Chad asked me," Raye added.

"And Ken asked me," Lita continued.

Serena looked to Amy who blushed while ducking back behind her book. "Greg asked me."

"So the Sailor Scouts are dating Earths Generals again," Serena stated.

"And the prince and princess are together!" Mina exclaimed. "Everything is right again!"

"And everything but the five of you is being quiet," Luna said from her perch by the window.

Serena picked up and hugged the cat. "Oh Luna, I've missed you!"

"Hmph. Well I would hope so. You faked your own death and didn't even tell your royal advisor."

"I know. And it won't happen again. I've got my prince forever now. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Trista stared at Tokyo from the window of her apartment.

"Something is coming," she whispered.

She opened her hand, resting on her palm was an old key, familiar only to her and a select few. The Time Key.

* * *

And that's the end…jk. It's the end of the Alan/Ann/Doom Tree arc. I always liked them. I don't know when the next chap will be up. I'll try to get it soon, but it definitely won't be as often as previous updates. To be fair, this isn't as bad as my typical cliffhanger endings (I don't particularly think it to be a cliffhanger at all really…) Anyway, I'll try to keep updating, but no promises can be made.


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks to reviewers:

Candiandi97

saveme57

inufan155687 (we're just going to assume she's magically remembered by everyone now)

SailorSea

CaseClosed621 (all she really did was teleport away. I thought I had her "teleporting" at some point, and she just sort of became dust and vanished.)

Narsenic

LoveInTheBattleField

Guest (x 3)

And Kitsune Jackson (Serena was the first to return, and Rini will enter soon. Ages are mostly the same as in the anime, Darien and the Outer Scouts are I believe slightly older. Darien is like 19, and Trista is about 20ish here. But the Inners are all about 14, the generals ages vary. Hotaru is 11 now, and Amara and Michelle are around Darien's age.)

So…it's been a while. I felt bad for leaving it hanging for so long, so this chapter is a bit shorter than normal and slightly rushed. But nothing much happens in it anyway, I just have to set up for the Black Moon arc. I might have had it sooner, but my hard drive crashed so I lost everything that I'd written since about march including what I'd started of this chapter. I'm hoping to get back into the writing swing quickly, so I will do my best to update about once a week. By the way, I hate writing romance. All I can do is cheesy crap.

And just to be clear, Darien's memories of Endymion's life only go up to the wedding, so he does not remember Rini from the past. No one does but Serena, and she wants to keep it that way…

* * *

"This is very wrong, we shouldn't be invading their privacy like this," Amy hissed.

The three other Inner scouts flashed her silencing glares before continuing to peer through the bushes at the couple on the water. Serena and Darien had been in the rowboat all morning talking quietly. The four scouts decided the prince and princess could not be trusted alone, and therefore had to be followed. Or at least that was their excuse.

"Seriously guys, this is crossing the line," Amy continued. "They're both slightly younger in this life, and Serena is much less troublesome than Serenity ever was. We're worried for nothing. We should go study for exams, they start next week you know."

"If you're so worried, you go study," Mina replied. "I am the sailor scout of love, and I can sense the burning passion between those two. They've been apart for thousands of years and have the memories of their past selves, so I don't trust them alone together."

"Serena has been acting more like Serenity since she let us have our memories back," Raye added. "It's just a matter of time before she really slips."

"At least she can't wander off to earth this time," Lita replied. "She's already here."

"I'm so happy nothing is left keeping them apart," Mina sighed, watching as her cousin giggled at something Darien said. "I have to admit though, if Uncle Ken was alive, Darien would be dead by now."

"Because of the age difference?"

Mina nodded. "But I think we can trust Darien. He cares for her. He won't hurt her."

"He better not," Lita muttered. "There's nothing scarier than four angry scouts."

The girls exchanged looks and laughed at the thought.

"Hey, they're heading towards the docks," Raye noted.

"Great, now we're gonna lose sight of them."

* * *

Trista stared up at the clear sky through her apartment window. She could feel the time key resting on the chain she'd put around her neck. Even without every last one of her memories she knew its importance and she knew that it was her duty to protect it. It wouldn't be long before she had to leave in order to do so full time.

"Trista, is something wrong?" Hotaru asked from where she was sitting on the couch between Amara and Michelle.

"Of course not," the older girl replied, turning back with a small smile.

She slowly crossed the room and joined the other girls as they enjoyed each other's company.

"I've been sensing something as well," Michelle told her. "Though it's faint, and it hasn't been bothering me as much as it seems to bother you. Could it be something to do with the time gate?"

Trista shook her head. "As far as I know that hasn't been repaired. Otherwise I would be guarding it now."

"But you can't leave. We need you," Hotaru whispered.

"It's my duty, Hotaru. Just like the rest of you must protect the princess and earth from all threats of the negaverse."

"And threats of earth," Amara muttered. "They're a lot more dangerous than-"

Michelle gave the dusty blonde a look that made her instantly stop what she was saying. Hotaru giggled.

"Darien was actually nervous about the date," she said. "I've never seen him act like that before. He forgot his keys and didn't realize it until he was out of the building."

"He's too old for her," Amara said.

"Is there really an age limit on love?" Michelle asked. "Or any limits for that matter. If two people are meant to be, there is no use in trying to stop it. We all know Serena and Darien are destined for each other, so why stand in the way? They have enough keeping them apart. There's no use in us doing so."

Amara stared at the other girl, who had been closely examining the tea in her cup since she'd begun her mini-rant. The other two girls remained oblivious to Michelle's underlying meaning.

"I wonder how it's going," Hotaru mused. "Either Serena's had a klutz attack by now, or Darien's bored her to death."

Trista suddenly jumped to her feet, looking towards the window. Her cup dropped to the floor and shattered.

"What is it?" Hotaru demanded.

"Someone is inside the time gate. They will end up in this time."

"Who?" Michelle asked.

"I cannot tell," Trista whispered. "Warn the Inners. We have to be prepared for battle."

Hotaru grabbed Trista's hand. "If someone's in the time gate, does that mean you have to go away now?"

Not wanting to answer, Trista squeezed her younger cousin's hand. "We should alert the other scouts now."

* * *

Luna and Artemis sat in the small control room beneath the arcade. As Luna stared in confusion at one of the screens, a call came through on the communicator.

"Luna, Artemis, it's Trista," the voice said.

Artemis reached the device before Luna could. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes. Very wrong. The time gate's been opened."

"But it hadn't been returned to its full state yet," Luna replied, glancing back at the strange readings she'd been staring at all morning.

"Someone is inside, but I'm afraid if I open it they'll be lost and we'll never know who it is. If it's someone on our side I don't want to risk messing up the future."

"Are Serena and Darien still on their date?" Luna inquired.

"As far as I know."

"Good. Neither of them is to know. Alert everyone but them."

"Already done. The Inner scouts are near them if anything happens."

"Keep us informed," Artemis replied. "We're on our way to the park now."

* * *

Darien secured the boat to the dock before reaching down for Serena's hand. He slowly pulled her up and as she stepped onto the dock she ended up tripping over her own feet. Before she hit the ground, Darien steadied her, but he was unable to hide his chuckling.

"You can't go a day without tripping over something can you, meatball head?" he teased.

Serena glared playfully at him. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. She leaned against him as they stepped off the dock. Before they could get any further, Darien stopped. Serena looked up at him questioningly. He slowly leaned down, tilting his head ever so slightly.

Suddenly something landed on the two, forcing them apart. Serena and Darien tumbled to the ground, the latter managing to grab whatever it was that had fallen on them. The little pink-haired girl escaped his grasp and jumped to her feet. She turned to Serena, pulling a black object from what seemed to be thin air. She pointed the gun in Serena's direction.

"Where's the silver crystal," she demanded.

Serena stared at the girl with wide-eyes, unable to reply. Darien quickly sprang into action, fighting to get the weapon from the small child. When it was in his hand, he realized it was no more than a very convincing toy.

"Hey kid, don't do that to people. You could really get into trouble with this thing."

"Don't tell me what to do!" she snapped in reply.

The gun suddenly changed shape in Darien's hand, causing him to drop it. The small round cat head floated to the little girl's hands.

"Where did you come from?" Darien asked, glancing around. "Where are your parents."

"That's none of your business."

Quickly approaching footsteps suddenly caught their attention as the four Inner scouts came to the rescue.

"I need the silver crystal to save my mama!" the little girl shouted before darting away.

Before anyone could give chase she was out of sight.

"Where did she come from? It seemed like she just fell out of the sky," Venus said.

"Yeah, it did seem that way," Darien replied glancing up again.

"Why was she after the silver crystal? Who is she? Is she a new threat?" Jupiter asked.

The four continued the questioning among themselves as Darien turned his attention on Serena, who hadn't moved from her spot on the ground. Her eyes were focused in the direction the girl had just gone in, and she appeared ready to try finding her.

"Rini," Serena breathed.


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks to reviewers:

Shaded Truths

James Birdsong

avengeme

Kitsune Jackson

TsukiyoTenshi (that is sort of answered in this chapter…but I'm still deciding on that)

Lord Halcyon

LoveInTheBattleField

Taniaea

CaseClosed621

Guest

And buttaflykissesxoxo

Just a short chapter, but sort of important in setting a couple things up. Things should pick up in the next chapter. I will try updating more often, but it's time to start preparing for school, and I have no internet access so it's difficult to not only find time to write but update chapters. My goal is to end the story before 2013 though, and it's going to most likely be slightly longer than twisted.

Once again, no one but Serena remembers Rini from the Silver Millennium. And I don't own Sailor Moon.

* * *

"You don't think she's the new enemy do you?" Lita asked.

"I didn't sense anything off about her," Raye replied. "Nothing bad anyway."

"She seemed like just a lost little girl," Mina added.

"What if she's the one Trista sensed traveling through time?" Michelle suggested.

"Where is Trista?" Darien asked.

"She left," Hotaru informed them. "She says it's time for her to guard the time gate, especially if it's able to be used."

"Will she be back?"

"If she's gone to the time gate, it's unlikely," Serena said. "She's chosen now to fulfill her duty of guarding it. I could probably summon her, but she won't be able to tell us anything. She's bound to an oath of secrecy now. I'm sure the little girl's not a new threat."

"She's like us," Raye said. "Could she be from the moon kingdom?"

"You mean from the past?" Amy asked. "Everyone was killed, and so was the time gate."

"The collapse of the time gate is what killed Pluto," Serena told them. "Anyone inside would have been killed as well."

"So maybe she's not the one who time travelled?" Lita asked.

"Could a child really just fall from the sky?" Artemis asked.

Luna watched the princess closely as she rose and stepped out of Raye's room. The black feline followed her charge as she went outside and sat on one of the temple benches.

"Serena, are you alright?" Luna asked, jumping up to sit next to her.

Serena nodded absentmindedly. "Of course, Luna."

"You're not shaken from being attacked are you?"

"Why would I be? She was just a little girl. She wants to save her mom." Serena stared straight ahead, seeming more distant now than ever. "I want to help her."

"What?! Serena, you have to be careful! That crystal is the most valuable thing in the universe, if it's put into the wrong hands-"

"I know, Luna. But I know she can be trusted. It's not like I'm going to give her the crystal. But if she is who travelled through time, then she's going to be wandering all alone. She probably doesn't even know where she's going."

"Why do I feel as if you know more about this than you let on?" Luna demanded.

Serena suddenly stood. "I'm going to find her. Tell Darien I'm sorry about the date ending badly. I'll make it up to him."

"What? Serena! You cannot go alone!"

"Going alone might be the only chance I have at getting her to talk to me! Please, Luna, trust me?"

"I trusted you before and it ended up with us thinking you were dead for several weeks!" Luna nearly shouted. "If you think I'm going to…Serena?"

Looking up, Luna realized Serena was already gone.

"Oh, Queen Serenity you just had to make sure she could teleport. The scouts aren't going to like this."

She quickly bounded back to Raye's room, where Darien was just heading out.

"Where's Serena?" he asked.

"She went to look for that little girl," Luna informed them. "We have to find Serena quickly."

"Scouts, transform!" Mina commanded. "Normal search patterns."

"Generals, we will escort the prince and Hotaru home and join in the search," Andrew ordered.

"But I'm a scout!" Hotaru argued.

"You're also too young still," Mina said. "It's just searching, and if Trista is gone we're uneven."

"I'm joining the search," Darien said, leaving no room for argument as he pulled out his rose and transformed into Tuxedo Mask.

* * *

"Luna P, we've been going in circles," Rini realized. "We'll never find Sailor Moon this way."

She clutched the black orb to her body as she knelt down by a large tree. It was starting to get dark, and the young child had already lost hope on finding the silver crystal. Having remembered her father's tales of the beautiful heroine Sailor Moon, she wondered if maybe she was in the right time to find her to ask for help. After all, if the Inner Scouts were here didn't that mean Sailor Moon would be too?

"I wanna go home!" she cried.

"Hey!"

The pink haired girl jumped to her feet when she saw the slightly older blonde running towards her. Before she could run away, the older girl grabbed her wrist and knelt in front of her.

"Are you alright?" Serena asked.

Rini yanked her arm away. "I'm fine! Go away!"

"What's your name?"

Rini raised her red eyes to meet Serena's. "Leave me alone."

"I just want to help."

Hiding her surprise, Rini examined the girl in front of her. She knew it was the same young woman she'd demanded the crystal from earlier. It had been a stupid decision really; after all she couldn't be the possessor of the silver crystal. But why did Rini feel so drawn to her?

"Why are you being nice to me?" Rini mumbled.

"I can tell you're scared…and you seem lost. Can I help you get home?"

"I can't go home! Not until I get the silver crystal!"

"Why do you need the silver crystal?"

"I don't have to tell you anything!"

"Alright. Fair enough." Serena lowered herself further until she was sitting on the grass. "Will you at least tell me your name?"

"Serenity," Rini replied.

"Really? That's my name too. But you can call me Serena."

"My family calls me Rini."

"Well then, Rini, do you have somewhere you can go?"

Rini shook her head. "I'm not from here."

"Come on." Serena stood up and held out her hand. "You can stay with me until we find what you're looking for, okay?"

Wondering why she felt so trusting of Serena, Rini reached up to take her hand.

* * *

"Anyone having luck?" Venus called over the communicators.

Receiving several negative comments she turned to Kunzite.

"How could she have just vanished? She has to be somewhere in the city!"

"We'll find her, don't worry," he assured her. "We don't even know for sure if there is a threat. Mina, don't stress yourself."

"I have to protect her!"

"We all have to protect her! I know that! You also have to remember she can protect herself. She knows her boundaries. If she can handle something she's not going to call for help. She also knows when she needs help, especially now that she knows she's not invincible."

"She's so caught up in protecting us though that she can't protect herself! Why would she go looking for someone who tried to kill her?"

"She didn't try to kill her. Knowing Serena she has a reason for trying to find the girl. Or maybe Serena just got tired of the meeting and went home."

"That's not like Serena." Venus reached for her communicator. "But it's worth a shot. I'll send Luna. Artemis can go to base and see if she shows up there."

* * *

Prince Diamond looked out at the city below him. From the large spaceship looking vessel he was in, he had the perfect view of anything he wanted to see. Unfortunately, from this perch he was unable to pinpoint the only thing he was searching for.

"Emerald is currently searching," Sapphire said from behind him. "We will find the rabbit soon."

Diamond nodded. "This is the time of Sailor Scouts, am I correct?"

"We have not crossed any, but that is most likely why she came here. To seek protection with her parents' guards."

"Serenity is here," Diamond said.

"Brother, we have to focus on retrieving the silver crystal. Without it we won't be able to-"

"I am aware of why we are here. But Wiseman and I have devised another plan that will ensure Crystal Tokyo never comes into existence. Just make sure Rubeus and Emerald don't mess up."

Sapphire nodded before leaving.

"Serenity will be mine," Diamond whispered. "And Endymion won't even realize until it's too late."

* * *

Luna sighed in relief when she saw Serena's shoes by the door of the above garage apartment. However, this was short lived when she noticed the smaller pair beside them. Rushing further inside she couldn't help but gasp at the little girl sleeping in Serena's bed. Before Luna had a chance to alert the others, she was picked up and taken out of the bedroom.

"Stop it, Luna, it's me!" Serena hissed, setting her down on the table.

"Serena? Where have you been? Everyone's been worried sick about you! And why is that child here? She's after the crystal! Are you insane? You might as well hand it to her!"

"I know what I'm doing," Serena calmly replied. "She's just a little girl, Luna. I'm one hundred percent certain she's not a threat. I just want to learn more about her. We need to know where she's from, how she ended up here, why she's here alone…."

"Why are you so interested in this? If she's the enemy-"

"She's not."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because she's…she's my daughter."

* * *

"Serena!"

Hotaru was awakened by her older brother's screams. She rushed into his room, knowing that they had already been told by Luna of her safety. He sat up in bed panting.

"Darien? What's wrong?" she asked.

"_If you stay with Serena, she will die,"_ the voice echoed in his mind.

Even with his eyes open and Hotaru calmly standing in the doorway, all he could see was Serena's eyes as she was pulled away to her death. He could feel her hands slipping from his own as he lost her forever.

"Nothing," Darien said.

Not at all convinced Hotaru waited for him to say more. When a few minutes passed in silence, she slowly nodded once and returned to her room.

Darien looked out the window, his gaze instantly drawn to the moon.

"_If you stay with Serena, she will die."_

* * *

And so the dreams begin… And what will Luna think of her princess's confession?


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks to reviewers:

TsukiyoTenshi

Shaded Truths (you are the better writer)

Lord Halcyon (I appreciate the suggestion, but I've had this planned since before I started writing Changed so I know exactly where I'm going with it. Great minds must think alike though because you are somewhat close to what I have in store for our heroes.)

LoveInTheBattleField

And Guest

So I think I'll start updating once a week, or doing my best to anyway. I'm thinking update every Friday? My friend is also an author here known as Shaded Truths (much better than me, check out his story "The Wings of Freedom Volume One" and you won't be disappointed!) and if I have something else to remind me to update that will help a great deal. Anyway, I'm actually really excited about this chapter because it turned out better than I thought it would. I also introduce two new characters who I personally enjoy a great deal and who I plan to have through the rest of this story. Reviews will inspire me greatly!

* * *

Luna stared at the sleeping girl in front of her in a cross between curiosity and wariness. She was curious about how the girl had ended up alone looking for the silver crystal, and how she hadn't seen the resemblance between the pink-haired child and Serena in the first place. She was wary that the girl might end up causing trouble, even if it was unintentional. Then she was also annoyed with Serena for blocking what seemed now to be such an important memory. Blocking the princess Luna understood, Serena wanted to prove herself. While she did not agree with the way she went about it, Luna did not blame Serenity for hiding her identity until she had no other choice. A child on the other hand was something that did not need to be hidden.

"Luna, stop it," Serena chastised. "You can't blame her."

"No, but I can blame you," Luna replied, jumping down from the bed.

The black cat walked into the small living room where she waited for Serena to join her. When the blonde did, she was surprised to see a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Serena?" Luna asked in concern. "Is something wrong?"

Serena hesitated slightly. Luna did know about Rini being her daughter now, but she wasn't sure she was ready yet to let her guardian know what had been bothering her since she saw the child at the park.

"Serena, what's wrong?" Luna pressed.

Serena glanced at the closed bedroom door. She made a mental note to get a bed for the other room, since she didn't know how long Rini would be staying. It had no other use, she might as well let the other girl sleep there.

"Rini…"

"She has been sleeping for quite some time."

"That's not it," Serena replied. "If she's here…it means she was reborn as well."

"Isn't that what you want?"

"Of course! I just…I always thought that if she was reborn, I would still be her mother. I suppose it's silly. None of us were born to our past parents…"

"We still need to figure out where she came from," Luna said. "Has she said anything?"

Serena shook her head. "I haven't tried forcing anything out of her. I'm hoping she'll tell me when she's ready. I've never seen her around before though…so she can't be from anywhere nearby. Unless she just moved here, but even so…"

"Are you going to tell Darien? And the scouts?"

Serena paled slightly. "I don't necessarily have to…"

"Serena, they deserve to know. Everyone has been trying to figure out who this child is since she fell onto you and Darien at the park, and you've known all along. They at least deserve an explanation."

"I know. I just…I want to figure this out first. I have to know why she's come here now. She really doesn't seem old enough to travel on her own, yet she…she really wants to save her mother."

"Well if she was close to you in the past life it's only natural she'll form a similar bond with her mother in this life."

"I guess you're right. I still don't understand how she just fell from the sky."

"Serena, could it be possible that…Rini wasn't killed and she's the same young princess from the silver millennium?" Luna suggested.

Serena considered this a moment. "I remember sensing her death. She would have recognized me anyway. I can't even tell if she knows she's the moon princess. She definitely knows more than she lets on, but I won't know if that's right until she opens up."

"So you're going to let her stay?"

"Do you expect me to let her stay on the streets?"

Luna sighed. "I suppose you have a point. And she is just a child…"

"I knew you'd see reason."

"You have to take extra care to protect the crystal though," Luna stressed. "I still don't trust her."

"I'm always careful with the crystal. She has no clue where to even look for it. If she starts getting close I'll have Darien protect it for a while."

* * *

"Amara, you're pacing again," Michelle said, looking up from a magazine she'd been flipping through.

Amara stopped long enough to spare her a glance before resuming her previous actions.

"Luna said the girl was staying with Serena," Amara said. "I don't like it."

"Of course you don't. I really don't think the girl is going to hurt Serena though. She seems sweet really."

"She practically threatened to kill them! What is Serena thinking?"

Michelle silently placed the magazine down and crossed the room, placing herself in Amara's path. When Amara reached her, she finally stopped. She stiffened slightly as Michelle grabbed her hands.

"I think you're thinking about this too much," Michelle said.

"She's the princess. We're supposed to protect her. How can we protect her when she doesn't think about things?"

"She's thinking with her heart. We all know how compassionate our princess is. We have to accept it, and respect her wishes. She wants to protect the little girl. Her name was Rini I believe. Maybe we should try to get to know her. It's only fair to give her a chance. Would you have the same problem if Serena weren't the princess and we weren't sailor scouts?"

"Yes."

Michelle slowly smiled as Amara realized her lie couldn't get past the sea goddess.

"She wouldn't be threatened then," Amara explained. "It's bad enough she lives alone."

"She lives close enough to Mina that she's perfectly safe. And you know if there's any chance of her being in danger, Darien will know about it before Serena's even near harm."

"He didn't see Rini coming."

"I don't think any of us did." Michelle tilted her head slightly in thought. "There's something about Rini though…something familiar. She actually reminds me a lot of the princess when she was younger."

"I still don't trust her."

"You don't trust anyone who's close to Serena. Half the time I don't think you even trust me." Amara opened her mouth to protest that, but Michelle cut her off. "We have no choice but to respect Serena's decision on this, and Serena has granted the child protection. It's now our duty to make sure Rini is safe. She's equally as important as the prince and princess. And we have more to worry about than a child who can't be older than seven. If she's what the Negaverse is throwing at us then we should be glad it's not worse. I don't want to hear anymore of you not trusting her."

Amara blinked as Michelle dropped her hands and walked away. When the dusty blonde came to her senses, she began searching for her companion. She finally found Michelle in her room, having decided to go to sleep early after an exhausting day.

"For the record," Amara said softly. "I trust you almost as much as I trust Serena…maybe more."

Michelle sat up to reply only to see she was alone once more.

_Why is everything so much harder in this life?_ Michelle wondered.

* * *

Darien groaned as another flash of pain rushed through him. He stopped in his walk home to lean against a tall wall, thankful he had been dismissed early enough that no one had to see him. Even in class they had haunted him, along with the image of Serena being torn away from him forever. He'd been dealing with it off and on ever since he'd first had that dream.

_More like nightmare,_ Darien thought to himself. _Could Serena really be in danger?_

Darien doubled over this time, his textbooks falling to the ground.

"_If you stay with her, Serena will die!"_

"Darien!"

Darien flinched at the sound of his name. He'd recognize that voice anywhere, and in all honesty she was the last person he wanted to see right now.

"What's wrong?" Serena asked, instantly kneeling beside him.

"Nothing," Darien said through clenched teeth.

"Darien, are you hurt? Was there an attack-"

"I'm fine! Just leave me alone!" Darien shouted.

As he spoke the pain faded enough that he managed to right himself. His lover had taken a step back in surprise at his outburst. She looked up at him in shock. Darien was about to apologize when the image of her dead in his arms flooded his mind.

"_If you stay with her, she will die!"_

"Why are you here?" Darien asked, flinching slightly at his harsh tone.

"I…this is the shortest route to the elementary school. I dropped Rini there this morning…" Serena studied him in concern. "Are you angry that she's staying with me? She's harmless, I promise. And I need to tell you something more about her..."

"_If you stay with her, she will die!"_

Darien cringed in pain and Serena stepped forward again. This time he physically pushed her away. Serena stumbled back but regained her footing before she could fall.

"Just leave! I don't want to be with you anymore!" Darien found himself shouting.

"I…what?"

Surprising himself, Darien continued. "I don't want to be with you anymore. We're over!"

"But, Darien, please just listen-"

"No! We're over!"

Serena stood in shock as he quickly brushed past her and walked away, leaving her stand there alone.

* * *

From across the street Diamond watched Darien leave his beloved Serenity.

"That was certainly much faster than I expected…" he murmured watching Serena wipe tears away. "I knew you didn't love her, Endymion. Not nearly as much as I do anyway."

* * *

Serena sat absentmindedly swinging as Rini ran joyfully around chasing the butterflies fluttering around the park. The younger girl continually cast curious glances at Serena, but was having trouble figuring out on her own what was wrong. The teen masked it well, having met Rini after school with a smile and cheerfully asked about her day. But for some reason Rini doubted it was her normal cheeriness. It reminded her of how her own mother acted on the very rare occasions her parents argued.

"Serena, didn't you have a good day?" Rini asked, settling into the swing next to her.

Serena hesitated. She couldn't tell Rini that the scouts had torn into her about the little girl staying with her, and it didn't matter to Rini if Darien suddenly broke up with her. In fact, Serena was worried Rini might believe it to be her fault, and even Serena wasn't sure what had caused Darien to change his mind about her.

"Well?" Rini insisted.

"It was fine," Serena lied.

Rini's narrowed eyes proved Serena wasn't fooling her.

"Come on," Serena said, jumping off the swing. "It's getting late. We should go home to eat, and you still have homework."

Rini nodded joining her. "Hey, Serena, who was the man you were with yesterday?"

"He…was my boyfriend," Serena said softly. "His name is Darien."

_Did something happen between them?_ Rini wondered, realizing how quickly Serena's mood had changed. _When I saw them together they reminded me of Mama and Papa. Didn't that mean the two would be together forever?_

Deciding she would find out later, Rini took Serena's hand. Serena looked down in surprise. Rini smiled brightly up at her, and Serena couldn't help but return the smile. The scouts and Darien might be mad at her, but Rini was here. It might not be for long, but at this point Serena was just glad she wasn't entirely alone.

* * *

Not far from the mother and daughter, two siblings slowly wandered around searching. The boy was older, and had yellowish blond hair with deep blue eyes. He wore thin black armor, and a red cape trailed behind him. His sister had lighter blue eyes and long, dark black hair that was pulled back out her face. She wore a blue schoolgirl skirt with a green tank top.

"There she is!"

The tall boy looked to where his sister pointed. Sure enough he caught sight of the small pink rabbit ears. He leaned against a tree, watching Rini walk away with someone he recognized all too well.

"She's with Serena Tsukino," he said.

"What?" the girl looked closer, anger rising in her eyes. "We have to get Rini away from her!"

"She won't hurt Rini," her brother calmly replied.

"Like she wouldn't hurt the scouts? Or King Endymion?"

"Let's just wait and see what happens."

"Rini's in danger. If we fail to protect her-"

"It isn't even our job to protect her. And we won't fail. Serena is taking care of her. If anything changes then we'll take her back. This is as close as Rini's been to her in a long time. I think it will be good for her."

"I think it's going to doom us all. Serena Tsukino is more dangerous to earth as the Black Moon Clan."

"You should show her more respect."

"I hate her for everything she's done! It's her fault our family is falling apart!"

The boy turned on her. "Our family is not falling apart! And if we cause harm to Serena Tsukino our family won't even exist! I've heard enough. Let's find somewhere to stay for the night. We know Rini is safe, and we know where to find her. That's enough for today. We need to rest. The Black Moon Clan followed Rini, so we need to be ready to help the sailor scouts if there is an attack."

* * *

Ah my dear OCs. I've been waiting since the beginning of Change to introduce them. Any guesses on who they could be?


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks to reviewers:

Shaded Truths: no lies, only truths (lol, sorry that wasn't very good was it?)

CaseClosed621: You are definitely onto the twist...

LoveInTheBattleField

Candiandi97

narsentic

Taeniaea

and inufan155687: it will be revealed soon...

So, I know I said I'd update on fridays, but it's fair week and since I have a show tomorrow I figured I'd better update while I have internet access. I'm like halfway done with the next chapter, and school starts next week so I will hopefully have that chapter up next friday (because you know how I love cliffhangers...). As for the twins, I'm hoping several of your mental light bulbs will shine towards the end of this chapter when they return. If not, it will sort of be revealed plainly next chapter. Until then, reviews make me smile!

* * *

"Maybe he was just in a bad mood," Raye suggested as the girls sat in her room after school the next day. "Aren't his exams coming up?"

"He has a month. And you know Darien," Serena replied. "He's been studying for the entire semester. He has nothing to worry about. Unless he doesn't think he's studied enough since he's been helping me catch up with everything…I knew this was my fault."

"He's probably just got a lost on his mind," Lita suggested. "We all do really."

"You and Darien are meant to be," Mina added. "You can't deny that."

Serena sighed.

"The child isn't helping matters though," Amy pointed out.

"_The child_ has a name," Serena said evenly. "I don't understand why you guys hate her."

"We don't hate her," Raye assured her. "We're just…concerned she's dangerous."

"She pulled a gun on you," Lita reminded them.

"It was a toy," Serena explained. "She wants to help her mother. I think we should help her."

Raye narrowed her eyes and shifted her gaze to the doorway. "You might as well come in if you're listening anyway."

A guilty looking Chad slowly entered followed by Rini.

"You were supposed to take her for a walk," Raye said, glaring at her boyfriend.

"She was concerned about Serena," he replied, cowering slightly at the threat hidden in her voice.

Rini stared down at Luna P, still clutched in her arms. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I don't want you to be unhappy, Serena. You've done a lot to help me…I'm sorry…"

"Rini…" Serena slowly crossed over, kneeling in front of the girl and pulling her close. "It's not your fault."

"Why do I get the feeling you know a bit more than you're telling us?" Raye suddenly asked.

Serena straightened, turning to her raven-haired friend. "What do you mean?"

"You have a record of keeping things from us. What do you know about her that we don't?"

"She doesn't know anything!" Rini insisted, stepping in front of Serena. "I can't tell you anything. I'm not allowed to…"

"Why aren't you?" Lita demanded.

"That's enough." Serena grabbed Rini's hand. "I'm tired of hearing this, and I'm not going to let you interrogate her! You know where to find me if I'm needed."

The Inner scouts sat in slight shock as she stormed out, taking Rini with her. Chad watched the scene with wide eyes before sitting on the floor next to Raye.

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh?" he asked.

"You were supposed to keep Rini occupied! You're lucky I noticed you were both listening in! If she finds out who we are-"

"Something tells me she already knows," Mina interrupted. "We've said it before, but that girl definitely knows more than we think she does."

"Serena trusts her," Lita said. "That's good enough for me."

Amy nodded in agreement. "I've also picked up higher waves of energy, though not all of it is negative energy. Some I have accounted for Rini-"

"You mean she's like us?" Chad asked.

"That's the only conclusion Greg and I were able to draw. The strange thing is that she literally just appeared out of nowhere."

"So she fell from the sky?"

Amy shrugged. "We can't figure it out, but…yes."

"I think we're gonna need the outer scouts help on this one," Mina said. "I'll get them here. I'll tell Andrew to get the other generals here as well. We need to discuss this more."

* * *

Darien sat sipping coffee at the counter of the Crown Arcade. He'd met Hotaru here after she got out of school. Apparently Rini had been placed into her class, and his sister seemed to be much more trusting of her than he was.

"I got an interesting phone call last night," Andrew said, taking a quick break. "You wanna tell me something?"

Darien looked to him in confusion.

"Serena," Andrew hinted.

Taking a deep breath, Darien looked away. Hotaru was still in the middle of her Sailor Moon video game, and appeared as if she would be there quite a bit longer.

"You know she's like a sister to me. You guys had a fight?"

"It wasn't a fight."

The bells rang signaling someone had just entered.

"Then you better prove it, because she's here right now with the demon child in tow," Andrew muttered.

Darien stiffened, having hoped he could have avoided her at least until the dreams ceased.

"Hotaru!" he heard the younger girl call.

Darien listened as his sister returned the greeting and the two young girls began chatting excitedly. He tried to remain calm until he felt a presence beside him.

"Hey, Serena," Andrew said. "Your usual?"

Serena shook her head staring at the counter. "Not today."

Andrew spent a moment glancing between the two before he turned to help another customer.

"I wanted to apologize," Serena said. "I'm not sure if you were having a bad day or were just stressed yesterday, but I was just concerned…"

"Don't," Darien interrupted, not wanting to hear anymore.

Serena looked up at him, trying to keep tears from forming in her eyes. "You didn't really mean it…did you?"

Darien saw a quick flash of her death again. "I meant it."

"But what about our destiny…our lives in the silver millennium?"

"I don't think our lives should really depend on the past. You're the only one who even remembers every detail of it. I still don't remember half of my life as Endymion. Things are different here in this life… I have other things that I have to concentrate on-"

"I understand," Serena interjected. "You want to break up."

Serena was looking down and missed the stricken look on Darien's face. He pulled back as if she had physically slapped him.

"I won't be a bother to you anymore," she whispered.

Darien reached out, but the girl jumped up and fled before tears could fall in front of him. His hand closed around nothing but air. Seeing her temporary guardian run away, Rini cast a hateful glare to Darien before quickly following. Hotaru looked at him questioningly and Andrew stormed over.

"What did you just do?" he shouted.

Before Andrew could shout again his phone rang. He looked at the number and seemed to consider it a moment before answering. Darien sat staring at his hand, still frozen from where he had tried to bring Serena back. He finally sat back, trying everything to get the image of her tear-filled eyes out of his head. It might not have been the first time, but he really hated making her cry.

"That was Mina," he told him. "Apparently we're all gonna meet at Raye's in an hour."

Darien nodded.

"I'm officially off the clock. You wanna explain what just happened?" Andrew asked.

"She's in danger."

"You're breaking up with her because she's helping Rini?"

"I don't know if Rini's the threat."

"Start from the beginning," Andrew ordered. "Don't skip anything. Serena's practically a sister to me. You might be my best friend, but I warned you about breaking her heart. You better have a good reason because if I weren't at work I would have probably torn you apart by now."

"I keep having this dream," Darien admitted. "It starts off…perfect…Serena and I are finally getting married and everything is peaceful. Then everything suddenly turns to chaos and Serena is torn away from me. It always ends with her dying in my arms and…"

"Are you sure it's not just from the battle with Beryl?" Andrew asked.

"No because there's this horrible voice that always says if I stay with Serena, she'll die. She's in enough danger as it is. I'm not going to put her in more danger by staying with her."

"You're an idiot!" Andrew hissed. "You broke up with her because of a stupid dream?"

"It's more than a dream!" Darien said. "I can feel the pain of her death. It's real, as if it's happening while I dream. The only reason I'm still sane is because when I wake up I sense her still alive."

"Did you ever consider this is a trick?"

"I still don't want to take the chance."

"Everyone in the Negaverse wants you two to break up. Are you really making it this easy?"

Darien looked up at Andrew. "What would you do, if you were having dreams about Mina?"

"That's different. Mina and I shouldn't be together in the first place, and our individual strength isn't as dependent on the other as yours and Serena's. With you to help her she almost died against Metallia. What's gonna happen if she uses the crystal against this new foe and you're not there?"

"She's better off without me," Darien decided. "I knew that from the beginning."

* * *

Serena ran as fast as she could, tears flowing down her cheeks as she fled the one who meant the most to her. Her watery eyes clouded and she suddenly ran into an intersection as a car sped down the road. Freezing where she stood, though part of her actually hoped the car might her, Serena was surprised when she was hit from the side as she and another tumbled to the curb.

"Are you alright?" the man asked.

Serena looked to the man who hovered over her protectively. He quickly got up, not wanting to seem inappropriate for the way they had seemed to land. He hadn't wanted to see the girl be killed though, especially considering what she meant to him.

"I'm fine," Serena whispered.

"You should be more careful. It would be a shame for a beautiful young lady such as yourself to be harmed." He smiled kindly. "You seem sad, my dear."

"It's nothing. Thank you for the help, but I really should be going."

"Wait," the man said, grabbing her arm. "Can I escort you somewhere? I'm worried to send you off alone."

"I'm fine really. I should be going though…" She paused a moment, gazing at him thoughtfully as a strange feeling passed through her. "I'm Serena."

"A beautiful name, how fitting," the man replied with a smile. "You can call me Diamond."

* * *

"Where is she?" Rini whined. "Why would she run off without me? I don't know my way around yet…"

It was slowly getting dark, and Rini had been all around the Crown Arcade, she'd even found her way to the park but there was no sign of Serena.

_I should have followed Darien, Andrew, and Hotaru, _Rini thought. _ At least they could have gotten Serena for me._

"Well, well, well," a snide voice said. "What have we here?"

Rini turned, seeing one of the four sisters too close for her comfort.

"It seems the little rabbit is lost," Prizma said. "Maybe I can help."

Rini turned and fled, not knowing what else to do. She neared a set of stone stairs at the park and lost her footing, tumbling a couple flights down. As Prizma caught up, Rini found herself losing control her emotions. She suddenly burst into tears before letting out with an ear-piercing scream. As she did, a crescent moon mark appeared in the center of her forehead and a beam of light shined around her.

Prizma was quick to unleash a youma, ordering to capture the girl. Just as the beast got near, a red rose appeared in its path.

"We've had a lot of foes, but none have been low enough to prey on innocent children," Tuxedo Mask said. "I will not tolerate such actions, and you will be punished."

"You won't harm Rini if we have a say in it," Sailor Venus said, as she and the other seven scouts appeared beside him and the generals. "In the name of the alliance, we will punish you!"

Prizma regarded them with an annoyed look. "Just kill them. I'll deal with the rabbit."

As the youma lunged for them, the sailor scouts surrounded it. Tuxedo Mask jumped from his tree branch to land in front of Rini, no longer the center of the glowing light and now lacking the moon symbol. She cowered against the stone barrier. Tuxedo Mask took a second to make sure she was alright before focusing on Prizma.

"What do you want with Rini?" he demanded.

"She has something we want!" Prizma replied, trying to dodge past him.

Tuxedo Mask held his ground, not planning to let this woman anywhere near Rini. He might not trust her, but if Serena wanted to protect her he would as well.

"Prizma, enough!" a commanding voice called. "Let the youma finish them. There's been a change of plans."

Prizma scowled but instantly vanished. Tuxedo Mask quickly whirled around, making sure the woman didn't reappear to kidnap Rini. Lifting the girl up, he turned to where the scouts were still fighting the youma. It didn't seem as if they were faring well at all.

_Serena, where are you?_ He wondered.

As if hearing him, a golden tiara zoomed through the air, striking the youma and instantly moon-dusting it. Sailor Moon was about to rush over to where Rini was held by Tuxedo Mask when a shout was heard.

"Earth swirling waters!"

Sailor Moon was thrown back several feet by the sudden attack. The scouts were instantly around her, looking in all directions until they caught sight of the two figures in a nearby tree. The first was a tall boy with light hair, wearing a black tux not to different from Tuxedo Mask's. He also had the top hat and white mask, but the inside of his cape was a deep sapphire blue. In his hand was a silver sword, almost exactly like that of Prince Endymion's. The girl with dark hair was in a sailor uniform. Her skirt was dark blue, and the bows were both green. Her choker and the center of tiara matched the blue of her skirt. Her boots came up to her knees and were similar in design to that of Sailor Moon.

"Who are you?" Sailor Uranus demanded.

"I am Tuxedo Mask the second," the boy announced.

"And I am Sailor Earth," the girl added with a frown. "We're here to kill Sailor Moon."


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks to reviewers:

coloradospace: they are aware of all possible consequences, as Endymion states in this chapter.

Taeniaea

TropicalRemix: Their reasons for wanting to kill her will be revealed soon. They could possibly be…

Shaded Truths: :P

Sassy618

LoveInTheBattleField: Possibly. Reasons will be revealed later.

CaseClosed621: no, they're from the current future (if that makes sense…). It gets explained in upcoming chapters, but basically they want to prevent a couple things from happening that were never supposed to happen. And they know a lot more than they let on, so yes they know Serena is Sailor Moon.

Guest: Soon. The reasons for the appearance of Tuxedo Mask the Second and Sailor Earth have nothing to do with Serena keeping the secrets from everyone, there is a reason they came back (besides retrieving Rini) that will soon be revealed.

dark shadowed rose

inufan155687: yes, Sailor Earth wants Sailor Moon dead, and no she is not brainwashed. There is a reason. Tuxedo Mask the Second is not Diamond. But yes, it was Prince Diamond who saved Serena.

Yes, I love ending chapters in shockers, it gets more reviews. Tuxedo Mask the Second and Sailor Earth will reveal a bit more about themselves in this chapter and also why they said they wanted to kill Sailor Moon. I apologize for anyone being confused, but I don't want to reveal too much yet so I'm trying to dance around information. I'm kind of hoping though everyone is able to piece the puzzle together especially after this chapter…

Also, Diamond is about as out of character as he can get, but that's mostly because there isn't very much of him to go on in the series. Just his unhealthy obsession with Neo-Queen Serenity and the fact that he was mislead by Wiseman. Therefore, I'm giving him a bit more because for some reason I am quite fond of him…

* * *

_"I am Tuxedo Mask the second," the boy announced._

_"And I am Sailor Earth," the girl added with a frown. "We're here to kill Sailor Moon."_

* * *

"NO! What are you guys doing?" Rini demanded, struggling out of Tuxedo Mask's arms and putting herself between the two and the Sailor Scouts.

"Step aside, Serenity," Tuxedo Mask the Second commanded.

"She can help us!"

"She's the problem!" Sailor Earth snarled. "Get out of the way, runt, or I will make you move!"

Rini shook her head.

"You're not getting anywhere near her!" Jupiter vowed.

"You don't seem to understand our dilemma," Tuxedo Mask the Second told them. "We have come to take our sister home, where she is safe from negative forces."

"What are you saying?" Venus asked. "Sailor Moon is the complete opposite of the negative forces! Without her the Negaverse would already rule!"

"Where we're from it does. Serenity, come."

Rini gave a look of defiance before running through the wall of Sailor Scouts and straight to Sailor Moon.

"Please, Sailor Moon! You're the only one who can help me save my mama!" she begged. "Please come with me!"

"She isn't allowed," Sailor Earth said. "You weren't allowed either. Pluto made a huge mistake in revealing the time key to you!"

"Pluto? As in Sailor Pluto?" Mercury asked.

"We've said too much," Tuxedo Mask the Second said to his companion. "Rini, if you do not come-"

"We have to save mama!" Rini interrupted. "I'm never listening to you! I know this will work!"

"Rini, who are these two to you?" Sailor Moon asked.

"None of your business," Sailor Earth snapped.

Sailor Moon sent her a silencing glare. "I was asking her."

Rini stared at the two for a long moment.

"You know them?"

Rini nodded.

"Would it be better for you to go with them?"

"No! I have to stay here until I can find the silver crystal! It's the only way to save my mama!"

"Rini, even with the silver crystal, she cannot be saved," Tuxedo Mask the Second said. "Please, just come with us. Father is worried."

"Please, just let me try."

He stared into the little girls eyes for a moment then silently nodded. "I will send our whereabouts to Luna P. Find us when you come to your senses. Keep in mind, we haven't much time."

Without another word the two ran off. No one bothered to chase them.

"Who were they and how do you know them?" Tuxedo Mask demanded staring down at Rini.

Rini took a step back, hitting Sailor Moon who gently put her hands on the small girl's shoulders.

"Leave her alone," Sailor Moon ordered. "She probably has good reason for not telling you anything!"

"Sailor Moon, are you sure we can trust her?" Sailor Uranus asked. "If she's with those two, you're in more danger than we originally thought.

Sailor Moon smiled down at the girl. "We can trust her. Now I don't want to hear any more arguments on that. Rini needs our help."

* * *

Rini was upset to wake up in the small bed she'd been given at Serena's apartment. Rushing from her room she found Serena sitting at the kitchen table. Being a weekend neither had school, and with the tensions among the scouts Serena didn't want to force Rini to be with them. Serena smiled but it quickly disappeared when she caught sight of Rini.

"Why am I with you?" Rini demanded, nearly in tears. "I found Sailor Moon and she promised to help me!"

"You fell asleep," Serena replied. "I was looking for you but after a while I decided to see if you found your way back here. You were sleeping."

"How am I gonna find her now?"

Luna, sitting on the counter, gave Serena a warning look.

"I have to save mama…" Rini cried.

Serena shushed her and pulled her close. "Rini, those people who were there. Who were they?"

"The Sailor Scouts?"

"I know about them, and Tuxedo Mask. But the other two…"

"My brother, Endymion; and sister, Terra. They came to take me home."

"You have siblings? Why didn't you go with them?"

"They've given up! They think our mother is already dead, but she's not. Neither will admit to being wrong, but they are!"

"Maybe you should have gone with them," Serena gently suggested. "Why do they hate Sailor Moon?"

"They think she's evil. But she's not! Is she?"

Serena shot a questioning look over the girl's head to Luna who sat on the counter pondering the girl's words. She had just caught the end of the battle, and wasn't sure what to think of the two new arrivals.

"Rini, are you a sailor scout too?" Serena asked, pulling back to look at the girl's eyes.

Rini dropped her gaze to the floor. "I don't have any powers. That's why Terra gets mad when I go off alone. I'm weaker than them. Mama says my powers will come, but Endy and Terra don't think so."

Serena stood up suddenly, hearing her communicator softly ringing from the other room. Luna jumped off the counter and ran to retrieve it.

"I'll be right back, Rini," Serena said softly.

Rini nodded and watched as Serena followed Luna away.

"Mina has called an emergency meeting. Apparently Amara and Michelle found a youma on their rounds not too long ago."

"Are they alright?"

Luna nodded. "All scouts and generals are to be at Raye's temple as soon as possible."

"What about Rini?" Serena let Luna jump onto her shoulder as the two made their way back into the other room.

"Well I suppose she'll have to tag along, but we have to be careful on keeping this from her." Luna suddenly glanced around the room. "Not that we have to worry about that now."

Serena followed her gaze, realizing the young girl was missing. "Oh no. Rini?"

Slightly panicked Serena jolted forward, causing Luna to lose her balance and fall to the floor. Serena ran to the slightly opened door, looking for any signs of pink outside.

"Rini!"

* * *

Darien sat near the four generals, listening as they shared thoughts on the new enemy. At the table the girls did the same. As he looked around he noticed everyone but Trista and Serena were already there. Trista was not expected, and Serena was believed to be late as usual. After an hour however, the tension could be felt rising. Even she was never that late. Mina was just about to suggest going to look when their princess came rushing in.

"Please tell me she's here!"

Questioning glances were shared.

"Serena, what's wrong?" Lita asked.

"Rini's missing! I've looked everywhere."

"Missing?"

"Are you sure you've checked everywhere?" Raye asked.

"Maybe she finally went home," Amara suggested.

"She didn't," another voice said.

Serena turned to see a young girl and boy had followed her into the room.

"When Rini runs off no one finds her until she wants to be found," the boy explained.

"We should probably find her soon," Greg said. "There are storm warnings out throughout the area. It's supposed to be really bad."

Serena bit her lip in worry. "I know none of you trust her, but please. Help me find her."

Everyone was silent, looking to Mina and Andrew for permission.

"Normal search patterns?" Amara asked, as she and Michelle rose.

Mina nodded. "You two, who are you?"

The boy and girl exchanged a glance.

"I am Prince Endymion of Crystal Tokyo. This is my sister, Princess Terra. The little girl you call Rini, is our little sister, Princess Serenity."

"Crystal Tokyo?" Amy questioned.

"It's not something we can discuss," Terra replied, glaring at Serena. "We'll team up with Serena for the search."

"I'll be with Serena," Darien stated. "Greg, Andrew, take Endymion with you. Amara and Michelle, I trust you two to watch Terra."

Endymion calmly nodded, but Terra turned to Darien.

"What?" she half-shouted.

"You might be the prince and princess of Crystal Tokyo," Andrew said. "But the only orders we follow are of _our_ Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity. Whoever finds Rini make sure to alert the others."

"If you come across anything suspicious, or those youmas call for help immediately," Mina added.

* * *

"Doesn't she count as suspicious?" Amara muttered.

Michelle threw her a silencing look as Terra repeatedly scanned the area with a deep frown.

"How old are you, Terra?" Michelle inquired. "You don't seem too much older than Hotaru."

"I'm fourteen," Terra said. "We're supposed to be searching."

"Don't be rude," Amara snapped.

"Amara," Michelle warned. "Terra, I'm only curious. You are a sailor scout after all. We should get to know you."

Terra's eyes narrowed. "You're protecting the enemy. Sailor scouts or not, you're not to be trusted."

"Sailor Moon is not the enemy!" Amara shouted. "If you lay one hand on her-"

"What she means to say is Sailor Moon, Serena, is not only our friend but the heir to the moon kingdom. She's not an enemy. She controls the silver crystal and uses it to purify our world."

"Only until she turns on you all. I know exactly what's going to happen." Terra stopped in front of them, looking between the two. "If she's allowed to utilize her powers, she'll be unstoppable. That's why Endy and I were allowed to come back. Sailor Pluto wants us to try changing the path, but she's almost certain it's too late already. Time's tricky."

"How do you know Sailor Pluto?" Amara questioned.

"You're from another time," Michelle realized.

Terra clenched her teeth so hard that she winced in pain. "We should look for Serenity."

"I should have listened to Serena and trusted the little brat," Amara muttered. "I liked her a lot more than I like you."

"I know."

"So who is Rini?" Michelle asked. "She seems very important."

"A princess. It's my duty to protect her," Terra answered. "I'm revealing too much."

"If that were the case Pluto would be here to stop you by now."

Terra turned away from the two as the trio continued making their rounds of the city, searching for the pink-haired child.

"At least we've learned a little more," Michelle said quietly.

"Serenity didn't say anything?" Terra asked in surprise. "She didn't reveal the reason she came back here?"

"She's been more tight-lipped than you," Amara replied. "If you came to hurt Serena why is Rini here to get her help?"

"Serena and Sailor Moon are one in the same," Terra stated. "I know this, and so does Endy. Serenity has been sheltered from this knowledge."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you. You'll have to wait for time to reveal the truth, or for the little brat to slip up so you can figure it out on your own."

* * *

Endymion walked in silence, stretching his senses to the best of his ability in an attempt to locate his young sister.

"Rini runs off often," he suddenly said. "I've grown used to chasing her, but she usually never leaves the palace walls."

"There isn't a palace for a considerable distance," Greg said. "How long has she been gone?"

"It's hard to tell. It depends on how you look at things."

Greg and Andrew exchanged a confused glance before the latter shrugged and continued following their new acquaintance.

"I can sense her but it's too faint to follow," Endymion announced.

"Are you close to your sister?" Andrew suddenly asked.

Endymion stopped to gaze at him for a moment. "Close?"

"Are you protective of her? Do you care about her? I mean, you came from what I assume is far away to find her. You have to be close."

"I am very protective of her, but not for the reasons you believe. Terra and I did not exactly travel far. In a way you can say we haven't even left our homeland."

"You're from Japan?"

"Something like that."

"Another time," Greg realized. "I wondered when you mentioned Pluto. The only question is, are you from the past or the future?"

Endymion smiled softly. "If Terra and I do things right, you will never know. And if we mess up, the three of us won't exist and earth will fall into the hands of the Black Moon Clan."

"They're the ones after Rini," Andrew said.

"Rini is the last person who saw the Silver Crystal. She might be the only one who knows where it is. However, Rini isn't the only one targeted."

"But Rini came here looking for the Silver Crystal."

"So it truly is lost," Endymion whispered. "Then we have only chance. As I said, Rini isn't the only target. Their leader has an…obsession."

"Obsession?" Greg repeated.

"Who else is targeted?" Andrew demanded.

"Serena. Terra is convinced the only way is to kill her, but if we do that… You must understand, we mean no harm. It's just that we must do all we can to protect our world. No matter what the sacrifice.

* * *

Hotaru was kept between the prince and princess as the three wandered the small park continuously. With Trista gone Hotaru had been thrown with her brother and Serena, and considering the recent breakup it seemed to work fairly well. Then again, Hotaru was beginning to get annoyed with the silence between the two. The once perfect couple hadn't said anything to one another in the past couple hours they'd been searching.

"Rini, where are you?" Serena mumbled.

"You don't think she's in trouble, do you?" Hotaru asked.

Serena didn't answer. Darien examined her carefully, thankful she was too distracted to even notice. She was greatly worried, it was evident in the way her eyes darted around desperately trying to locate the missing child. Every few seconds, Serena would remove her communicator to make sure she hadn't missed any calls. Then Darien noticed more. Dark circles stained the skin beneath her eyes, as if she hadn't slept in quite some time. She might have had them before the break up even. She was pale and her eyes carried a haunted look that almost scared the prince.

_Serena, what's going on with you?_ He wondered.

"Serena, a pleasure to see you here."

Darien glanced at the man with white hair who had decided it was the best time to approach his girlfriend…ex-girlfriend.

"Diamond," Serena replied, giving a sad smile. "I didn't expect to see you again."

"Perhaps it's fate."

Darien's hands clenched at his sides as he watched the man, Diamond, smile warmly down at Serena.

"At least you're not running into traffic anymore."

Serena looked down in slight shame. "I've been careful."

"I hope so. As I said, it would have been very tragic."

Hotaru was glaring at the man, finding she didn't like feeling she got around him. Darien also began to glare, but for alternative reasons.

"Who's this?" Darien asked, trying as hard as he could to keep his voice calm.

"Oh!" Serena said, as if realizing he and Hotaru were still there. "This is Diamond. He prevented me from being run over yesterday."

"Run over?" Hotaru replied. "Serena, how could you be so careless?"

"In her defense, she seemed quite distraught," Diamond said. "I should be going, I'm late for a meeting with a friend of mine." He removed a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to Serena. "If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to contact me. Or even if you don't need anything. I'll be seeing you again soon I hope."

Serena nodded as he threw a victorious look towards a furious Darien before strolling away. Hotaru glanced at the number in Serena's hand.

"I don't like him," she said flatly.

Serena glanced at her in surprise. "What?"

"I don't like him. He gives me the creeps. Don't call him."

"Hotaru," Darien said, with a mask of indifference, "let her do what she wants."

Serena's eyes watered slightly as she gazed at him and slid the number into her pocket. As she turned to continue on their search, a piercing scream ripped through the air. She instantly recognized the sound, remembering it had been what brought her running to the previous battle.

"Rini," Serena realized, rushing to her daughter's rescue.

* * *

Wow that was a bit longer than usual…I wanted to continue for another major cliffhanger but decided it was best ended here. Reviews are much appreciated!

Last thing, I'm not sure yet if I'm going to have Wicked Lady (aka evil Rini) make an appearance, if you absolutely must see her in this fic tell me so I can make that change before it's too late. I do take opinions into account, so let me know!


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks to reviewers:

Shaded Truths

coloradospace

inufan155687

LoveInTheBattleField (they know they won't exist, but to them the safety of the future is more important)

Taniaea

Sailor creation moon

SailorSea (as you see in this chapter, yes they know Serena is their mother)

Guest

Ms. Fairweather

and Sassy618

So, I think I've decided since I'm altering the storyline quite a bit (as you'll see in this chapter…) that Wicked Lady shall not make an appearance. I really want her to, so if I can I definitely will. Some of you are onto my twists though…

Also, I fear this battle might be a tad bit violent…I don't want to change the rating but there's a bit more violence than normal. This is also a really short chapter, so my sincerest apologies. I felt it was a good place to end it. I also used a bit of inspiration from "The Promise of the Rose" in this chapter…sort of…

* * *

Tuxedo Mask the Second struck at Rubeus with his black cane, forcing the flame-haired man away from Rini. Kunzite and Zoicite drew their swords, more than prepared for another battle. Rini scrambled up and away from the scene, hiding herself near a tree.

"Rini!" Serena shouted.

Rini looked up to see the older girl running toward her, Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Saturn not far behind and already joining the fight as four women appeared with Rubeus. Serena put her arms around Rini protectively as the girl buried her face against Serena's shoulder.

"Swirling waters!"

"World shaking!"

"Deep submerge!"

The three attacks struck three of the women, but only did minor damage. Rubeus raised a hand, throwing the three scouts back. Serena gasped, causing Rini to look up.

"Terra!" Serena called.

Sailor Earth glanced over, frowning as Serena beckoned her over.

"Protect Rini," Serena commanded.

"What? I'm a sailor scout, not a babysitter!"

"You'll do as I say!"

Sailor Earth opened her mouth to argue but instantly closed it, kneeling down to her sister's level. Rini reached out as Serena left her.

"Moon crystal power!" Serena shouted.

Rini gasped as the transformation overtook Serena.

_Serena's Sailor Moon,_ she realized._ That must mean the other scouts are her friends…but why wouldn't she tell me?_

"Moon tiara magic!"

"She has to get out of here," Earth whispered silently.

Rini looked from her sister back to the young woman who had been her hero for years, ever since her father first told her of the beautiful sailor soldier. But Rini also knew that Sailor Moon was nonexistent in her time, in fact, it had been a long shot to even come back to find her. Sailor Moon was not supposed to even exist, yet here she was in front of her. And Terra was worried.

_Is something going to happen? _Rini wondered.

She watched the four women as they continued attacking the scouts and generals. Sailor Moon had taken on Rubeus and Tuxedo Mask was right by her side.

_He does love her,_ she thought. _Otherwise he wouldn't care. Papa said Tuxedo Mask was in love with her. Tuxedo Mask must be Darien. I thought he looked familiar. But why would he break up with Serena if he loves her?_

Rubeus hurled a fireball at Sailor Moon, who quickly dodged it. He threw more, each coming closer and closer to the scout of the Moon.

"That's enough!"

Rubeus and the scouts froze, looking at the newcomer. Diamond floated a short distance above the ground, staring at none other than Sailor Moon.

"Serenity," he said. "I knew I would find you here."

"Diamond," Sailor Moon whispered.

Said man smiled. "My love, I knew it would not be long until we met again."

"You're behind this?"

"I only did it for you. To get you away from that worthless excuse of a prince," Diamond sneered as he threw a glare at Tuxedo Mask. "Come with me, Serenity. Then we could be happy once again."

"She's not going anywhere with you!" Sailor Earth shouted. "Swirling waters!"

Diamond disappeared, reappearing right behind the angry scout. Without visible movement he sent her flying into a tree. Before she could get up another force hit her against the tree once more, effectively knocking her out. Rini escaped, fearing if she didn't Diamond would notice her there as well. She ran to the closest scout, Sailor Neptune, who quickly placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Stop it!" Sailor Moon shouted. "If it's me you want, leave them alone."

Diamond smiled evilly, approaching her and gently cupping her chin. "I can't have them trying to tear us apart again."

"Who are you?" Uranus demanded.

"Prince Diamond of the Black Moon Kingdom," Diamond replied. "I'm only claiming what's mine."

"She's not yours!" Kunzite shouted. "Serenity belongs with Prince Endymion, no matter what the obstacles!"

Sailor Moon summoned her scepter, aiming it at Diamond. Before she could say anything it was knocked away by Rubeus. He roughly captured her, holding her wrists behind her back and drawing a sharp dagger to hold against her throat.

Diamond gave him a warning look before he backed away from the battle.

"Finish them," he commanded. "But leave Prince Endymion to me."

As Diamond advanced on Tuxedo Mask, Tuxedo Mask the Second snuck around, pulling out a sword which he used to stab through Rubeus' heart. The man dropped his weapon, and the four evil women gasped in shock. He slowly dropped the dagger and Sailor Moon freed herself. Rubeus fell, fading away as if he were never truly there.

"Rubeus!" the women shouted.

"Sailor Moon, take Rini and run!" Tuxedo Mask the Second commanded.

Rini ran toward her, and the two took off, only to be stopped by the angered witches. Serena placed herself in front of her daughter.

"Now now, don't harm them," Diamond ordered. "It was the young prince who did the deed."

Without hesitation Tuxedo Mask the Second was targeted. He was well-trained though and managed to avoid each one. He leapt into the air, seeming to fly as his cape swirled around him. He landed near Diamond, choosing him to fight and ignoring the witches.

Sailor Uranus , Sailor Neptune, Kunzite and Zoicite stepped up to fight against the four witches. A short distance away Sailor Earth was quickly coming to, and as soon as she saw the fight was still on she jumped into action. Tuxedo Mask suddenly entered the fight against Diamond, giving his second a look that sent him to aid in the other scouts, who were suddenly finding themselves overpowered by the four seemingly weak women. Diamond dodged every swing of the cane Tuxedo Mask pulled. Effortlessly the white-haired prince sent his enemy flying backwards.

"And now, Endymion, you will die," Diamond said.

_This has to end,_ Sailor Moon thought.

"Wait, please!"

Diamond looked to his obsession, who had caught his arm before he could kill her soul mate.

"If I go with you, you'll leave them alone?" Serena asked.

Diamond gazed thoughtfully at her for a moment before nodding once. "All you have to do is come with me."

"Sailor Moon, DON'T!" Sailor Earth shouted. "If you do, everything we fight for will cease to exist!"

Diamond took a step back testing Sailor Moon. She slowly reached for his hand, but was knocked away by Darien.

"I won't let you near her!" he growled.

Diamond smirked as Tuxedo Mask's grip tightened. "Prizma, Avery, Bertie, Catzi, return to our fortress."

"But, Prince Diamond-"

"Send Sapphire. No one else."

The four nodded and disappeared.

"World shaking!" Uranus shouted, as the golden orb flew at Prince Diamond.

He moved at the last possible moment, and the attack knocked into Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon. Before another attack could be made Diamond turned on Darien. As the blacked orb of energy flew at him Sailor Moon jumped to her feet. Her guards watched in horror as she took the full impact of the black orb, collapsing in a heap on the concrete. Her transformation instantly faded. The compact containing the silver crystal clattered to the ground.

"Sailor Moon!"

Diamond pulled back, horrified by what he'd done. Tuxedo Mask flew forward, pulling Serena into his arms. This was the scene Sapphire arrived to a moment later, sparing a questioning look to his brother whose eyes were only on the fallen blonde goddess. Finally coming to their senses, the sailor scouts flew forward to join Darien in trying to revive their princess. Rini stood back, her entire body shaking as she held back sobs. Her eyes caught sight of the compact and she quickly picked it up.

"Serena, no," Darien whispered.

"Serenity," Diamond said.

"We must be going," Sapphire gently told him. "We have to return to the future."

Diamond nodded in acknowledgement before holding out his arms. Serena suddenly disappeared from Darien, reappearing in the arms of their enemy.

"Give her back!" Tuxedo Mask shouted, rising to his feet.

"Serena!"

"NO!"

The rest of the scouts and generals arrived on the scene, watching helplessly as their princess was taken away. Tuxedo Mask suddenly collapsed to his knees, for once at a loss of how to handle the situation or save his true love.

_This is all my fault,_ Darien thought. _Serena, please forgive me._

"We have to get her back," Sailor Earth said. "He can't brainwash her again!"

"Again?" Kunzite asked.

"What do you know that we don't?" Venus added.

"We might as well tell them," Tuxedo Mask the Second said. "They'll find out soon enough."

"Tell us what?" Jupiter demanded.

Sailor Earth shook her head, obviously disagreeing with her brother. Tuxedo Mask the Second however turned to Tuxedo Mask.

"I am named after my father," he explained. "Terra, Rini, and I are the children of Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion of Crystal Tokyo. You know them as Serena Tsukino and Darien Shields."

* * *

I'm sure everyone knows what shall happen next...


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks to reviewers:

Sailor Sea

Shaded Truths: just admit Kurama is the most amazing character of all time, and get over it

Lord Halcyon

Sassy618

Taeniaea

CaseClosed621: Rini is the youngest. Some of the truth will be revealed soon. Other things will wait until we find out what became of Serena.

Moon-Princess-Serena1993

And Guest: perhaps…

I apologize that I've sort of lost track of where I'm going with this, which is why this chapter is quite short and very bad. I've had inspiration for my original novel and have spent all free time I have on it. As for this, I know major events, but it's getting through those that I'm having issues with. Maybe a few reviews will inspire me? I can only hope. I'll try making the next chapter longer, and the length of this fic will likely be shorter than I anticipated.

On the plus side: over 100 reviews!

I don't own anything besides my original characters.

* * *

Darien sat outside the temple, having heard enough of Endymion's explanation. Terra stood alert, watching Rini closely as she sat a short distance away, not allowed to hear anything else. They were protecting her from learning to much, and learning that the girl she'd just witnessed be taken away by the enemy was her future mother was already a bit much. Darien watched the two, thinking they didn't seem at all like the sisters they claimed to be. The relationship was definitely more of a guard and her charge. She seemed more serious about this duty than all of the sailor scouts combined. But if Rini was the moon princess, it made sense that she was so heavily guarded.

_Why didn't Serena tell us Rini was her….our daughter?_ Darien wondered._ She had to have known if she was so protective of the child and insistent that she be trusted. Serena, why do you have to keep so many secrets?_

Soft and measured footsteps approached, stopping just before Darien. He looked up, his eyes widening slightly.

"Trista?"

Sailor Pluto smiled. "The others are here as well I assume?"

"Pluto!" Rini shouted in delight, running over to her friend.

"Small Lady, I am glad to see you are well."

"Sailor Pluto," Terra said, staring at the ground in shame. "We failed."

"You have not failed yet." Sailor Pluto looked to Darien. "There is a chance to save Serena. Come, I need to speak with everyone."

Moments later the small group joined the others. Pluto stood in the center of them, slowly scanning her gaze around.

"I'm afraid things did not go the way I had hoped," she began. "Terra and Endymion were supposed to get to Serena before Diamond. The two of you did not follow my exact instructions once you realized Rini was here as well. I knew Small Lady came here, otherwise I would have sent you back farther. But things are different now. The field has changed, and it is not in our favor."

"What do you mean?" Mina asked.

"Serena has been taken to the future, 30th century Crystal Tokyo. I will grant you access to the time gate in order to follow. The rest of this will be fought there."

"You're letting them go to the future? Isn't that dangerous?" Terra demanded.

"We have no other choice," Pluto replied. "Darien, you're the only one who can get through to Serena. But you will only have a limited amount of time before…"

"Before she goes evil," Terra finished.

"Serena's not evil," Rini argued.

"Who do you think we fight, brat?"

"But she's Sailor Moon-"

"She's also our mother, and she's turned her back on us! She's evil, and there's no way to get her back!"

"That's enough, Terra!" Endymion shouted.

He slowly crossed the room, kneeling before a terrified Rini.

"I'm sorry, Rini, but this is the truth," he said. "We wanted to protect you, but there is no more of that. Do you understand?"

"I'm not a baby!"

Endymion smiled. "You certainly aren't. You looked up to mother more than anyone. Father was afraid if you knew the truth, that he and Sailor Scouts encased her in crystal to prevent her from destroying everything, that you would betray us as well."

"You lied to me?"

"We are truly sorry."

"We have to get mama back," Rini said. "We just have to!"

"Serena wouldn't betray us," Darien said. "She's stronger than that."

"Diamond has a stronger hold on her than you think," Pluto said. "And you breaking up with her made things that much worse."

"So we're back to this being my fault," he said softly.

"We don't have time to pass blame," Pluto said. "I'm sending you all into the future. You will be met by King Endymion, Darien's future form. He will explain the rest of our plan."

Without another moment's hesitation Pluto held out her staff and opened the time gate.

"You must go quickly, and stay together," she instructed. "We can't have any of you getting lost in the time gate. Endymion and Terra know the way. Stay close to them."

There were nods all around. With Endymion and Terra taking the lead, the large group entered the time gate. As the time gates were closed behind them, they were thrust into the dimly lit time gate. Not wanting to lose his future daughter, Darien grabbed her hand.

"Serena loves you," she said. "She won't really fall for Diamond. Don't worry, Darien."

Darien smiled. "I hope you're right, Rini."

"She will be," Andrew assured him. "Serena loves you more than life itself. I just hope Diamond doesn't do something unfair to prevent you from reaching her."

"Well, we all know it won't be easy," Amara replied. "He's the idiot who broke up with her. You're lucky any of us are letting you near her."

"What she means is you were wrong to hurt Serena," Michelle said. "But we will help you get her back."

Darien nodded.

"That's odd," Terra muttered.

"What is?" Mina asked.

"The end should be here," Endymion explained. "I don't understand. I know we went the right way."

"We're lost?"

"Look out!" Chad suddenly shouted, pulling Raye out of the way of a flying ball of flames.

A tall figure loomed before them, another fireball ready to be thrown. Cries of transformation echoed through the time gate as each girl and the generals transformed.

"Shine aqua illusion!" Mercury cried as another flame flew towards them.

The two attacks met in midair and exploded in a burst of light.

"Swirling waters!" Earth shouted.

The figure moved quickly to avoid being struck, the moves no more than a blur. It circled the group several times before stopping.

"I can't move!" Jupiter growled out, struggling to throw her own attack.

"Neither can I," Endymion said. "The youma's paralyzed us."

The youma let out a proud cackle as I lunged forward. A rose suddenly struck it, piercing its heart. Tuxedo Mask rushed forward as the hold on the others was broken. Relentlessly the masked man attacked the monster, only stopping when Kunzite pulled him back to avoid losing the prince as the girls finished their enemy with a combined attack.

"They're trying to keep us from reaching the future," Zoicite said.

"Look!" Rini shouted. "We can get out now!"

Sure enough crystalline white doors had appeared before them. The doors slowly opened to allow them entrance. The scouts and generals stepped out into a world frozen in what appeared to be the silver crystal. A man clad in light violet appeared before them, seeming more apparition than human.

"Endymion, Terra, Rini," he said. "I was beginning to worry."

"We have brought with us the sailor scouts and generals," Endymion replied. "They have agreed to help us in order to save Serena."

The man nodded. "Serena is currently being held in the fortress of the Black Moon clan. Come, I will tell you what has happened in your absence."

"Is Serena alive?" Rini asked.

"Of course, Rini. But we don't have much time before that might change. I have no doubt Diamond wants her alive, but if it comes to it, she will have to be destroyed."

"How can you say that?" Tuxedo Mask demanded. "If Serena dies-"

"Diamond's intentions with Serena are to sway her to his side. He has an obsession with her, and has been trying for years now to take her from me. Recently he realized he could manipulate her if he caught her at the right moment in time. So he went back to when she was most vulnerable, as a teenager. Those dreams you had, they were caused by Diamond wanting to separate the two of you. By giving into these dreams you played right into his hands."

"Is there a way to change this?"

"No. You're the only one who can bring her back, Darien. If you fail then for the good of the future…we won't have a choice."

* * *

Okay, so while I will be doing the best I can with finishing this story, if I continue like this the story will get worse. Therefore I will be regathering my thoughts and hopefully ending this story with my absolute best fanfiction writing. In other words, I cannot guarantee an update next friday. But a friend of mine has assured me he will not let me abandon this story even if I try, so it should not be too long.


	13. Chapter 13

If this chapter confuses you, it's kinda supposed to. Author's note, and review replies at the end so I can get to the story sooner.

This belongs to Naoko Takuchi, who I am not.

* * *

Last time in _Warped:_

Serena's been kidnapped by none other than Prince Diamond! As if that isn't enough, Darien and the rest now know the truth about Rini, Endymion the Second, and Terra. And Pluto has sent them into the future where they meet King Endymion, Darien's future self.

_"Diamond's intentions with Serena are to sway her to his side," King Endymion explained. "He has an obsession with her, and has been trying for years now to take her from me. Recently he realized he could manipulate her if he caught her at the right moment in time. So he went back to when she was most vulnerable, as a teenager. Those dreams you had, they were caused by Diamond wanting to separate the two of you. By giving into these dreams you played right into his hands."_

_"Is there a way to change this?" Darien asked._

_"No. You're the only one who can bring her back, Darien. If you fail then for the good of the future…we won't have a choice."_

* * *

Serena gently stirred in her sleep. She turned over in the warm bed, feeling the unfamiliar fabric. She suddenly sat up, her eyes darting around as she tried to figure out where she was. It was a large room, quite larger than Serena was used to. It was dark, as if Serena had slept into the darkest part of the night. Small lamps were lit, one near the bed the other on a small table across the room. Seeing her hair had been taken down from its normal buns, Serena brushed it over her shoulders, wondering if there were clips to hold it up anywhere.

"You're awake."

Gasping Serena looked to the man standing by the window. He didn't turn to look at her, but their eyes met in the reflected image.

"Where am I? What happened to the Sailor Scouts and…?"

"They're not dead if that's what you're asking," Diamond replied. "Though I can't honestly say I would not have had them killed. I don't want you to hate me though, and I fear their tricks have worked to tear us apart once again.

"What are you talking about? What tricks?"

Diamond turned. "Don't you remember? Our love, our life? Our daughter? Serenity, part of you must remember that you will always be mine. I am your true soul mate, not that barbaric earth prince."

"No. You're wrong. Endymion and I…"

"If you were meant to be would he have ever even considered breaking up with you?"

Serena had no reply for that. Diamond took his chance, crossing the room and taking her hands in hers. He perched on the edge of her bed, his eyes boring into her.

"I will never leave you, my love. Never again."

"A-again?" Serena questioned.

Diamond looked away. "Do you remember nothing from the silver millennium?"

"You weren't there," Serena said. "I know you weren't."

"Of course, your memories were altered by your mother and the Sailor Scouts."

Serena yanked her hands from his. "You're lying!"

"Just hear me out," Diamond begged. "Serenity, no one in this universe means as much to me as you do. Please just let me explain what really happened."

"This is a trick," Serena accused.

"Would I ever lie to you?"

Serena's determination faltered as she was unable to deny the sincere look in his eyes. She sighed and looked away, surprised when she felt a gentle kiss against her cheek. Diamond pulled back, watching her reaction.

"I'll hear you out, but that doesn't mean I believe you," Serena finally said.

"That's good enough for me. Where shall I start?" he wondered. "With our first meeting perhaps?"

"Aren't you the prince of the black moon kingdom? Did that even exist in the silver millennium?"

"It has always existed. The people of the black moon are people your ancestors banished for rising against them. In all truth you and I both have blood of the moon kingdom, the difference is that mine is considered more impure and separated. Our people were banished, and marked as traitors, but built a new kingdom, one that the kings planned to use to take back what was truly ours. Unfortunately I got in the way of that. I was the oldest prince, but I wanted to be free of the palace. I wanted to live a life away from the responsibilities that came with my birthright. Sapphire, my younger brother, was much more fit to be king than I. So I ran away.

"I started visiting the various planets of the silver alliance, making sure to hide the mark on my forehead. It was on Venus that I first saw you. The irony that our first meeting was on the planet dedicated to goddess of love never escaped me. You were wandering with two of your guards, Sailors Venus and Mars, though at the time I assumed you were just three friends. Had I known you were the princess of the moon kingdom, I'm sorry to say I would have turned away. I would have forced myself to forget the beautiful goddess I had seen. However I was ignorant to this fact and was quick to introduce myself.

"You were startled I suppose. Your guards were immediately on alert, after all they sensed where I was from and knew I was considered the enemy. But you were only able to see the good in people, and smiled sweetly back at me. For the rest of the day you and I wandered, the other two followed at a discrete distance. At the time I don't believe they knew I could tell they were following us. In a few short hours, my heart became yours. Unfortunately you had snuck out of the palace that day, visiting your cousin with your mother. It was the Queen Serenity and her sister who found us.

"Immediately she recognized me as a descendent of traitors. She pulled us apart and ordered my immediate execution. You cried out, begging for my life. It was the Queen of Venus who realized the truth first, you and I were soul mates and forever meant to be. Though no one wanted to admit it, now I was not able to be killed. As true love of the princess, my death was not allowed. But that did not stop Queen Serenity from putting a stop to our relationship, she ordered me to leave or else she would find a way around the ancient laws and my body would be returned to my father in the Black Moon Kingdom. I had no choice at this point but to reluctantly return home.

"That should have been the extent of our relationship. But I felt I could not give up so easily. I heard the silver alliance was under a new threat, and they were looking for new allies. I brought up the possibility of joining to my father. He immediately dismissed the idea. For a while I was afraid he'd consider me a traitor and banish me. However his health was failing him, and with the year he was dead. I was crowned king, so I decided to pay our the Moon Kingdom a visit. I remember that all too well. I didn't exactly get the warmest welcome party. All the Sailor Scouts were there waiting for me, as if they'd known I would come. Sailor Pluto's doing I'm sure. Queen Serenity was equally as wary of me. When I offered up my request to join the alliance she was furious.

"But you were there. You didn't seem to be listening at first. You always did go off in your own world from time to time. But before your mother could reject my proposal, you accepted. You never did tell me why. I suppose I let it be my own hope that you might return my love. The court was dismissed, and I was escorted to my own room for the night. The next morning, all of the queens of the silver alliance were there. I wondered if this was going to end up being a death sentence, not only for me but for my entire kingdom. Wishing for an alliance was dangerous, not only for me but the entire Black Moon kingdom.

"However, I was surprised when, rather than being killed, the queens had agreed to my bargain."

"Queen Serenity would never agree to make an ally of the enemy so quickly," Serena replied.

"But you would. I sent word back to Sapphire on Nemesis, so that he may spread word that Queen Serenity and I were arranging an agreement between the two kingdoms. I remained in the Moon Kingdom for almost a month longer. I found that I enjoyed wandering the gardens. As did you. I won't lie and say you easily fell for me. I think it was more pity at first that you even bothered to converse with me. I was also struggling in the negotiations with the queens of the alliance. There was no common ground. Every planet but my own were led by women, and that was not likely to change. Queen Serenity finally offered me an ultimatum. I could forget the treaty, and return to rule my kingdom as their enemy. Or I could take a wife." Diamond smiled, looking to Serenity. "She was quite surprised when I said the only wife I would ever take was you."

"And you're telling me she actually agreed to it?"

"I wish it were that way. Unfortunately it was not. Queen Serenity stormed out. I couldn't help but look to you, wondering what your reaction was but you were blocked by Sailors Mars and Uranus. Sailor Venus and the Venusian queen ran after your mother."

"I'm guessing you eventually succeeded?"

"Impatient are we?" he asked with a smirk. "Eventually yes. A little over a year later, we were married."

"But we weren't in love."

"Don't be so quick to doubt, Serenity. It was your cousin and aunt who finally got through to Queen Serenity, saying that my feelings for you were true. That you were the very reason I was even attempting to join the silver alliance. You pointed out the fact that the Black Moon kingdom could not be held accountable for the actions of our ancestors. Do you really believe me to have any ill will against you?"

Serena watched him warily for a moment. "No. So if we were married, why weren't you reborn closer to me? And where does Endymion come into this?"

"Earth had been taken over by the Negaverse, as I came to find out soon after the alliance with the moon kingdom was settled. The Black Moon's army joined the ranks of the Silver Alliance. For a while everything was well. Our kingdoms had merged. You and I were happy. We had a child, a daughter. Of course we named her Serenity-"

"You're lying!"

"Am I? Even you have to realize she looks nothing like him. She doesn't even like him, couldn't you tell? She knows he's not her father. She's more perceptive than either of us give her credit for, Serenity. I'm sure she knows everything."

"If she knows, why is she afraid of you?"

"She's just as brainwashed as you are I suppose. Prince Endymion of Earth showed up one day. He immediately made his…interest in you known. It was sickening really. You hated him, almost as much as I did. He would do everything possible to get you alone. He would touch you and the things he said… I had to return to Nemesis for a while. I wanted you to come with me. The Sailor Scouts were slowly being brainwashed by Endymion's guards, and less reliable to protect you. Even Queen Serenity noticed this. She would have forced me to take you with me, you would have been safer among the children of traitors than in the presence of that scum. But Rini was ill at that time. We didn't want to stress her with travelling, so you stayed behind. You kept me updated for the first few weeks. Then your letters stopped coming. I returned early, getting the same welcome I received the first time. I was captured and learned that the queen and her two advisors had been imprisoned. Endymion had taken over. I saw Rini run in. But she ran to Endymion, calling him her father. Nothing broke my heart more than seeing my daughter not recognize me. Then you came in, with equal confusion as to who I was. When Endymion explained I was the king of the Black Moon Kingdom…you instantly turned away. There was fear in your eyes, as if you really thought I would ever harm you. I will never forget that day. I will never forget how it felt to lose you like that.

"I had to find a way to escape. Only then would I be able to figure out how to save you. But as I escaped the Negaverse attacked. The Moon Kingdom fell. You and Rini were killed. Everyone died. Queen Serenity was the only survivor, along with her advisors. Within hours the destruction had spread to every corner of the Silver Alliance. My only solace was that Endymion had been killed with the rest of the Moon Kingdom. But I had lost two of the most important people in my life. I was prepared to take my own life, when your mother stopped me. She had a plan. With the silver crystal, she pushed the Negaverse back, it had become weakened by being so widespread. Even Earth was now safe from the negative overlords. But that wasn't all she did. With Earth being the last planet able to sustain life any longer, she sent everyone who had been killed into the future on Earth, hoping maybe the people in the future would not be nearly as terrible as they were back then. She didn't realize everyone would be reborn.

"Wanting to give you and I a second chance, she sent me to Earth as well, but not into the future. She placed me into a deep sleep, and I could awaken only by a great use of the silver crystal's power. I'm sure your use of the crystal against Beryl was what ended my slumber. I set out immediately, hoping to find you. I searched for so long, but when I finally found you…he had already won. Is it really so wrong of me to want things to be right, Serenity? To go back to the time when we were happy?"

Serena sat silently, letting his story sink in. "I…"

"Of course you don't believe me. Perhaps I should bring someone who will more easily convince you that I speak the truth, my love."

The door opened then. Serena's eyes widened.

"Mother?" she whispered.

"I'm only here for a short time I'm afraid," she said, smiling at her daughter. "Serenity, I've been so worried."

Serena rose from the bed, slowly approaching the white-haired woman. Serena circled her, as if not believing her eyes.

"How…"

Queen Serenity opened her arms, allowing her daughter to embrace her. "All will be well. You're where you belong now."

"But…what about Darien…and the girls?"

Queen Serenity frowned. "I'm afraid it's too late for any of them. You might be able to save Rini, if you hurry. You have to get to her quickly. Endymion will use her against you, especially since he knows Diamond must have told you everything."

Serena looked back to Diamond, who watched the scene from the bed. He smiled softly. Serena crossed back to him, slowly reaching to grab his hand. Hesitating only slightly, Serena leaned down, gently pressing her lips to Diamond's. Diamond smiled before deepening the kiss, not about to let the opportunity escape him.

_And now, Endymion, she is truly mine_, Diamond thought.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Kunzite began. "You encased Serena in here not only for her protection but so she doesn't destroy earth? Is Serena even capable of that?"

"If she's capable of saving the planet, she's capable of destroying it," Venus replied. "That's why she was so protected. Queen Serenity didn't want her daughter faced with that, so she hid everything from her."

"At least we know where Meatball Head got that from," Mars muttered.

"So how do we save her? How does Darien get her back?" Hotaru asks.

"Darien will never steal me away again!"

The scouts turned. In the doorway blocking them in stood a beautiful young woman in a long, form-fitting black gown. Her blonde hair hung in loose waves down her back. But what struck her friends the most about her appearance was that their princess now bore a black crescent moon in place of her normal one.

"We're too late," King Endymion whispered.

* * *

Thanks to the oh so wonderful chapter 12 reviewers:

Shaded Truths

Moon-Princess-Serena1993

Inufan155687

CherrySerenity-sama

LoveInTheBattleField

Taeniaea

SailorDarkMoon112

And Guest

AN: So, it's been a while since my last update. I fear updates shall be few and far between for a while. I plan to finish this by the end of the year (much sooner if I can…). I've been obsessed over my original works and school, not to mention my friend Shaded Truths decided to get me addicted to Yu Yu Hakusho in which I found the gorgeous Kurama to be the most amazing character ever.

I also know I've had some inquiries as to whether or not this story will have a sequel. At this point in time. I don't know. I have ideas, but nothing set in stone. So no promises yet. I also think I might take a break from the Sailor Moon fandom to pursue story ideas in other categories as the ideas are piled up. I'm also hoping to get my original work published, which unfortunately takes precedence over fanfics. I promise not to drop off the face of the earth again though.

Questions, comments, concerns? Review!


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks to reviewers:

Shaded Truths: Don't lie, it's your fault. And Diamond will be around for a while so get used to him!

dark shadowed rose

shields07: Nemesis refers to the planet the Dark Moon Kingdom was banished to or supposedly lived on (if it doesn't make sense, I haven't watched this season in a while, thus I am a bit fuzzy on details). Queen Serenity's "appearance" will be explained in this chapter, but basically she was kind of a ghost last chapter.

LoveInTheBattleField

inufan155687: her mother being there will be briefly mentioned in this chapter. As for how Serena believed Diamond's story, 1) it could be true, this is fanfiction after all and I do kind of like the Serena/Diamond pairing, and 2) Serena is still upset and confused about her breakup with Darien so tricking her won't be too difficult

and SailorDarkBlueMoon112: I think your review was the most enthusiastic review I have ever gotten in any of my stories. Glad you are enjoying this story.

So, instead of studying I decided to write fanfiction. I'm hoping to end this within the next month or two, so not much longer to go. And I believe my mind is back on track, so hopefully I can get it finished soon.

Again, doesn't belong to me.

* * *

_"Darien will never steal me away again!"_

_The scouts turned. In the doorway blocking them in stood a beautiful young woman in a long, form-fitting black gown. Her blonde hair hung in loose waves down her back. But what struck her friends the most about her appearance was that their princess now bore a black crescent moon in place of her normal one._

_"We're too late," King Endymion whispered._

* * *

"Serena!" the scouts exclaimed.

"Serena, you're alright," Darien said.

Serena's eyes narrowed as she sent him a glare before rushing to her future daughter. Kneeling to the small girl's level, Serena pulled her close.

"Rini, I was so worried," Serena said.

"Get away from her," Endymion said, his voice cold and cruel.

"Endy," Terra warned, though she took a fighting stance beside him.

King Endymion watched from afar, knowing that even if Serena made a move to take their daughter he would be powerless. The prince of Crystal Tokyo rushed forward, pulling Rini from Serena's arms.

"I won't let you hurt her."

"She's my daughter, and I'm taking her with me."

"No you're not," Darien replied. "Serena, what did he do to you?"

"What did he do?" Serena repeated. "He told me the truth. I can only hope the Scouts learn the truth as well before it's too late."

"What truth?"

Serena's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'm sick of your games, Darien. Rini, you're coming with me."

"Why?" Rini asked. "I don't to go anywhere. This is home. I want to stay here. I have to stay with Mama."

"We don't belong here, Rini. Earth is a dangerous place, and I won't allow you to live among these filthy humans any longer. They've lied to you Rini. We don't belong with Darien, we belong with Diamond. Your real father."

"What?" everyone exclaimed.

"That's ridiculous, Diamond is evil, Serena," Venus said.

"No. Earth is evil." Serena drew her scepter, aiming it at the surprised scouts. "Give Rini to me, and I'll leave you alive…for now."

"Go with your future mother, Rini," King Endymion said calmly.

Darien glared at his future self. _He can't be serious_, he thought. _Why would he want to put Rini in that danger? Isn't that what we're avoiding?_

Endymion's hold on his little sister tightened. "Father, he'll kill Rini-"

"No. He wouldn't kill his daughter."

Rini looked around at the faces around her, entirely too confused to have any coherent thoughts. Luna P was held tightly in her arms. She knew something was different about Serena, her mother, after all the teen had been taken by their enemy. And her father wasn't this Diamond, it was King Endymion, Darien. She couldn't know for sure of course, but it was King Endymion who was always there. He and Serena seemed to be in love, what if it was an act?

Endymion reluctantly released Rini. "If anything happens to her-"

"The only danger to her is here," Serena said, holding out her hand.

Rini glanced at her older siblings before running back to Serena. In a wisp of golden moon dust, the two vanished.

"What are you thinking?" Terra demanded, turning on her father.

King Endymion calmly sighed. "Luna P has a tracking device. Pluto warned me this would happen. Believe me I do not wish to place Rini in danger of any sort. However, this is the easiest way to find out where Diamond is hiding."

"You know what he told her," Darien stated.

"The same thing he tried telling her in this time. Unfortunately, due to your foolishness, Serena's mind was weakened enough that she believed him."

"And what exactly was it that he told her?" Venus snapped.

"That he was her lover in the silver millennium, and that Prince Endymion separated the two of them to claim Diamond's life as his own."

"So, basically what Diamond himself is doing," Mars said.

King Endymion nodded. "Rini will be safe, I assure you of that. She has the silver crystal inside of her."

"But, she came looking for the silver crystal," Saturn said. "Didn't she?"

"Honestly I don't know if Rini is aware she is in possession of the silver crystal. She's young. Serenity and I want her to remain carefree for as long as possible. She's a smart child, unfortunately she seems to have inherited Serenity's naivety. She is the heir to the Moon Kingdom, and therefore easy for Diamond to use in his plot. He couldn't ignore the fact that Rini existed. And there is no denying that Rini is Serena's future child."

"Is she yours?" Darien suddenly asked.

King Endymion fixed him with a knowing look. "What do you think?"

"I think I want answers," Darien replied.

"Rini will be your daughter, as she is mine. However, unlike Terra she is not a child of the earth. Rini is destined to rule the Moon Kingdom."

"But…it no longer exists," Jadeite reminded them.

"Once more you underestimate Serena's power. Crystal Tokyo isn't the only area under her control. In the past few centuries not only has earth been saved, but the civilizations of other planets have been restored as well. You could say the Silver Millennium has returned. Not everyone is happy with our progress, thus the rebellion led by Wiseman."

"I thought Diamond…" Kunzite trailed off. "Diamond isn't in control?"

"He believes he is. However, Wiseman has plans of his own. There's a reason we haven't simply killed Diamond yet. Serenity always believed him to be innocent, she always tried to see the good in people. I am honoring her wishes by not simply killing him. She believes he can be saved. I know she will be angry if we don't try."

* * *

Diamond stood in the darkened room, watching Wiseman stare into the crystal ball.

"If you have nothing to say, I will be leaving," Diamond said. "You've kept me here in silence for several hours now, and I wish to return to my Serena."

"You have not retrieved the silver crystal, I'm waiting to hear your plans for doing so," Wiseman replied.

"The silver crystal is in Serena's possession. No one else has the ability to control it. It's useless in any other hands. I see no reason not to let her keep it."

"She could use it to see the truth! Do you really think it won't be simple to see past your lies?"

"I have her entirely convinced," Diamond calmly replied. "Once we return to the past we can close the time gate and it will prevent the others from finding us. She was already questioning Endymion's love for her before my story."

"You owe me the silver crystal! She would have never believed you had I not conjured the false spirit of her mother! You forget that it's because of me you've been able to do any of this."

"And you, old man, forget you were almost dead when Sapphire and I found you! I owe you nothing." Without another word Diamond stormed out, nearly running into Sapphire who was just outside the doors.

Diamond turned and locked the doors behind him, trapping Wiseman inside. The two men walked beside each other through the halls of the dark palace.

"You're finally questioning his intentions?" Sapphire asked.

"He's been nothing but helpful. We need him."

"Of course, brother. I only worry he will turn against us once he is strong enough."

"He won't become strong enough."

"I hope you're right." Sapphire paused. "You know of course that I don't agree with your trickery, but Serena is waiting for you in the north wing. You should go to her before she worries."

"Has she asked any odd questions?"

"No. But you have a guest. I'll see you in the morning."

Diamond watched his younger brother walk away before making his way to where Serena was waiting.

* * *

Serena rested softly against the headboard of the bed. Rini lay sound asleep next to her, and the teen was gently brushing her fingers through the soft, pink hair. The pair had returned hours ago. After uselessly searching for Diamond, Sapphire found them only to say his older brother was indisposed at the time. Making Sapphire promise to send Diamond to them as soon as possible, Serena had taken Rini back to the room that had been prepared for her.

Serena had tried to calm the small girl, knowing she was just as confused as Serena. However that had resulted in the child bursting into tears and inevitably falling asleep. This left Serena to sort through her own thoughts, trying to make sense of what had occurred.

_Darien seemed so confused,_ she thought.

That was what had bothered the most. While she knew his memories were limited, he should have known more about Endymion's plot. The lack of memories was mostly those that Serena herself had blocked, the memories of their married life. Or would it have been her and Diamond's life? That would explain why Darien had no memories of it. But why had he seemed so uncharacteristically caught off-guard by the fact that Serena had all but declared war on him?

But Diamond's story made so much more sense. If Serena had been brainwashed when she died, and focused on protecting Endymion and Rini, it's possible she could have overlooked blocking Diamond's memories. That would explain why he retained them. And if he had been in hiding since the silver millennium, waiting for her to be reborn, she would not have thought about him at all. And since she met Darien first in this life, Serena simply assumed being with Darien was right.

_So why do I still feel love for Darien?_ She wondered.

Serena forced the thoughts from her head, looking down at Rini. The girl bore too much resemblance to her mother to even attempt looking for traits she'd inherited from her father. But who did the girl seem more like? She didn't know Diamond enough yet to have gotten a grasp on his personality. But the girl really wasn't as serious and studious as Darien was, though she seemed smarter than she was given credit for. The ruby eyes and pink hair resembled no one that Serena could even think of. As for Endymion and Terra, they had to be Darien's. But if Serena was with Diamond now, once they returned to the past the two would cease to exist.

Serena looked up as the door opened. Diamond stepped in. He smiled upon seeing Serena, but then his eyes slid past her to the child beside her.

"You have Rini," he said quietly, entering and crossing the room to sit beside Serena on the edge of the bed. "You left?"

"I wasn't gone long. They weren't expecting me to appear, so it was almost too easy to get her."

"I'm glad it was easy. But don't be so reckless. I couldn't bear losing you again."

"You worry too much. I wanted to surprise you by saving her from them."

"Consider me surprised," Diamond replied, leaning forward to capture her lips.

When they pulled back Serena smiled softly.

"Come. We should let Rini sleep."

Serena looked to her future daughter and hesitated.

"She'll be alright," Diamond assured her. "You're both safe her. I made sure of it. The Scouts will never find you here."

"Of course."

Diamond rose and held out his hand. Serena quickly took his hand, casting a last glance to Rini as they left her room.

"You seem upset by something," Serena said.

"It's nothing for you to worry about. Just know that I will keep you safe."

Serena slowed to a stop, looking up at Diamond with uncertain eyes. She slowly turned towards him, her hands resting on his chest as she grabbed the fabric of his shirt and pulled him closer. Diamond grinned at the action, having not expected it. Serena gasped as his tongue darted across her bottom lip, her mouth opened just enough to allow him entrance. She felt herself surrender as Diamond pushed her up against the wall. One hand moved to cup her face, the other at her hip preventing escape. Serena whimpered in pleasure as his lips left hers as he moved to nip at her jawbone and neck.

"I trust you," Serena whispered. "I trust you."


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks to reviewers:

avengeme

Shaded Truths

inufan155687

Moon-Princess-Serena1993

LoveInTheBattleField

and Guest

Kind of a filler chapter, but I felt like I needed to slow down for a sec to develop character relations a little bit more. This also sets Diamond's plan up to fall apart in the next chapter. It'll pick back up soon!

* * *

Amara was pacing. Michelle watched from her spot at the foot of the bed as Amara walked to the window then turned and walked to the door, only to turn again to return to the window. Finally having enough, Michelle rose and stepped in front of the other girl. She caught the taller woman and forced her to stop.

"Serena will be fine," she said. "It's late, we both need rest and I can't sleep with you making so much noise."

"It's not just Serena I'm worried about," Amara replied.

"Amara, we're all worried. But without rest we'll be completely useless. Now, come to bed."

"We should have stopped Serena from taking Rini."

"You know how protective Serena is of Rini, she won't let anything happen to her."

"You can't believe that she'll be safe there! We don't even know where she is."

"As soon as King Endymion finds out, he will let us know."

"It's because of him that this happened! I don't trust him!"

"I know you don't, but we don't have a choice right now. Unless you want to lose Serena for good you'll stop being so impossible and cooperate!"

Amara looked taken aback for a moment.

"But I don't suppose you'll ever be anything but," Michelle continued. "You never were. Everything always had to go a certain way, and if it didn't you would be such a horrible mood-"

Michelle's eyes widened in surprise as Amara's lips crashed down on her own. After getting over her initial surprise, Michelle relaxed only to cry out when Amara picked her up and threw her onto the bed. Michelle's heart raced, only to fall as Amara pulled away and walked around to her side of the bed.

"You're right we should get some rest," Amara said.

Michelle fought the urge to glare at her, instead choosing to curl under the covers facing away from Amara. A moment later she felt the bed shift and her lover's arm wrapped around her waist.

"Don't be mad," Amara whispered, her breath hot on Michelle's neck.

Michelle sighed, unable to resist turning to face Amara. "I'm not mad."

Amara's arms tightened around her as they lay in silence.

"Michelle…"

"Yes?"

"I…I love you."

Michelle smiled. "I wondered how long it would take you to say that this time around." She pulled back to see Amara's face. "I love you too. Now go to sleep."

* * *

Amy sighed in frustration as she stared at the screen in the control room of the Crystal Palace. Greg rose from his seat to stand behind her, gently resting his hands on her shoulders.

"We'll never find them at this rate," Amy said.

Greg's hands gently squeezed her shoulders in reassurance. "We will. Don't worry."

Amy turned. "Serena is my best friend, I'm going to worry. If something happens to her-"

Greg placed a finger on her lips. "Don't. We'll find them.

There was a knock on the door and Mina entered with Andrew at her side. King Endymion was with them. Greg straightened and Amy leaned back in her chair.

"Anything?" Mina asked, ignoring the blush on their cheeks.

"There's something blocking the signal Luna-P is supposed to be giving off," Amy explained.

"We've been trying to get through it for a while now, but whatever it is, it's too strong," Greg added.

"So Diamond must have assumed we would use Luna-P's signal to find them."

"We've narrowed it down though," Amy said, turning to the screen and pulling up a map. She pointed to an area outlined in gold. "This is around where the signal was before we lost it again."

"It reappears at random intervals," Greg picked up. "Each time it is in that general area."

"There's nothing in that area," King Endymion said. "It's been checked several times. It's a desert. Nothing grows there. No one lives there. It's a wasteland we've been struggling to figure out what to do with."

"If Amy and I were able to go there, we might be able to gather samples to determine if there is a magical force intervening with it."

"I will have someone prepare supplies for you to leave in the morning."

"Get some rest until then," Mina said. "Andrew and I will see if we can do anything more."

Amy and Greg nodded, leaving the other three to take over the room.

"There's something more to this area than you're telling us," Andrew accused, turning to King Endymion.

"You know me well," the king replied. "Serenity knew her mother's feelings for those of the Black Moon Kingdom, the fear that they were powerful enough to take over. They have the blood of rulers of the Moon Kingdom, but are marked as traitors."

"They can use the silver crystal," Mina realized.

King Endymion nodded. "Prince Diamond, and Sapphire are the only two with this ability, as they are the only ones with direct lineage to Serenity's ancestors. I don't know if gaining the silver crystal is Diamond's intent or not, but either way we have to regain Serena's trust."

"How?" Andrew asked. "You saw the look in her eyes. She truly thinks she belongs with Diamond, and that Rini is their daughter."

"I assure you that Rini is mine," King Endymion replied. "Diamond did not surface until very recently, in our time at least. When he did, he declared direct war on earth, stating that the Moon Kingdom was an ally and that Serenity would marry him when the war was over. His obsession is with Serenity, not ruling, which is why I don't understand why he is going through such lengths."

"You said he was being controlled by Wiseman, could that be our true enemy?" Mina asked.

"It's possible. Either way, we need to find where Diamond is hiding and stop him."

Andrew and Mina nodded in agreement.

Darien moved from his spot in the doorway, his hands tightly clenched into fists. He looked at the bright moon shining through the window.

_I will find you Serena,_ he vowed. _And when I do, I will make you forgive me. I'm not waiting anymore. This is my fault. My fight. Not theirs._

Pulling a rose from the inner pocket of his jacket, Darien became Tuxedo Mask and flitted off into the cool night.

* * *

Diamond paced outside of the room in which Wiseman was kept. Ever y few moments he would stop to place his hand on the door handles, only to pull away and resume pacing.

"Is there a reason you're so restless?"

Diamond looked up. "Emerald."

The green-haired woman smiled. "Don't tell me the lovely Serenity isn't the one for you."

"This has nothing to do with Serenity."

"Emerald, leave him be."

The duo turned to see the new arrival, Sapphire.

"Brother, I thought you'd come to your senses and decided against using Wiseman any longer. Was I wrong?"

"No."

"Could it be that she doesn't love you?" Emerald asked, stepping seductively closer to Diamond. "Maybe you should be with one of your own kind, a fellow member of the Black Moon Clan."

Sapphire pulled her away from him. "Emerald, that's enough. Diamond and Serenity's relationship is not your business."

"I don't see what is so appealing about her. You belong with a woman like me, not that foolish girl," Emerald snapped, with a final glare she stalked off into the darkness.

"She won't give up, will she?" Diamond asked.

"Of course not. You were always the one she loved," Sapphire replied, watching her leave.

"And you were the only one who loved her. Have you considered confessing to her?"

"And facing rejection? No. Eventually she will realize you love Serenity and she will be left with only me. Why are you wandering so late?"

Instead of answering Diamond turned his attention to the gardens outside the window. "Is something wrong with me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Serenity is finally mine. I am the one by her side, not Endymion. I am the one she loves. So why isn't that enough? Why am I not as happy as I should be?"

"Did you ever think it could be because you went about things the wrong way? You're forcing someone to love you, when their heart and soul belong to another. Even if she believed you, it's only a matter of time before she realizes the truth."

"And I will lose her forever."

"Did you really expect it to be so easy?"

"No. But maybe I can convince her to love me."

"Just give this up," Sapphire begged. "This obsession of yours has grown out of hand. Take Serena and Rini back to the Crystal Palace and let them live in peace. They are happy with Darien, Serena loves him. You will never come between them."

"I will. I'm not losing this battle, Sapphire."

"You will if this battle costs you your life."

* * *

Serena stood on the balcony of her room, staring at the night sky. She leaned forward on the railing, staring into a garden that was almost exactly like that of the Moon Palace during the Silver Millennium.

"Serena?"

Startled, Serena turned, seeing Rini standing just inside the room.

"Rini, what are you doing awake? It's late."

"Do you love Darien or Prince Diamond?"

Serena blinked. "Rini, what's gotten into you?"

"Answer me," the little girl demanded.

"I…Diamond. I love him."

"You're lying."

"I am not. Go back to sleep." Serena turned back, looking to the moon as if for guidance.

"Just because Darien broke up with you doesn't mean he doesn't love you. He does. He wants you back, that's why we came to this century. He doesn't want to lose you. I was there when he broke up with you. I could see how much it hurt. And now you're afraid of going back to him because you're afraid he'll hurt you again! Why can't you see that Diamond is lying?"

"NO!" Serena covered her ears and closed her eyes.

Rini grabbed her arms, forcing her future mother to listen. "Darien will stop at nothing to get you back. He's the one you're supposed to love. He's the one you're meant to be with! Diamond is lying to you, you're not his soul mate and I'm not his daughter! We would both know if he was, and even you're doubting it."

"You're wrong! Darien doesn't love me! He never did!" Serena collapsed in tears. "It was all a lie! Every part of it! Darien never loved me. He was using me."

Rini knelt down in front of Serena. "If you didn't love him, you wouldn't be so upset."

Serena looked up. "It doesn't matter. I'm not letting him take me over again. I'm staying here, and so are you. Darien is the evil force here, not Diamond. Diamond loves me, Darien never did."

Rini frowned. "He's really got you brainwashed. Are you really going to stay with Diamond just because he's so obsessed with you he'd never hurt you? Isn't true love worth the pain?"

"Go away, Rini. Go back to bed."

"Not until you listen to me!"

"I'm not listening! You're wrong. Now just leave me alone."

"You know I'm right," Rini snapped before rising to leave.

Serena leaned back against the railing of the balcony and looked up at the stars in the night sky. Sighing Serena stood up again. As she moved to go back inside shouts could be heard from the far end of the garden. A masked man dressed in a black tuxedo stood on the wall, he jumped down, drawing his cane as he prepared to fight. The guards swarmed the masked man, outnumbering him and easily defeating him. They chained their capture and dragged him off into the depths of the palace.

"Darien…"


	16. Chapter 16

Thanks to reviewers:

Shaded Truths: you have been reading my stories for how long now? Expect cliffhangers.

Serena-Darien2001

inufan155687

LoveInTheBattleField

SailorDarkBlueMoon112

Moon-Princess-Serena1993

So, due to the fact that I'm going home early this week, I am unable to update tomorrow. Therefore you get this chapter a day early. I'm not sure if there will be an update next week. It will depend both on whether I get over my newfound writer's block (lame excuse, I know, but it constantly plagues me) and if I can find some internet. So, if i fail to update next week: Happy Thanksgiving to readers in the US. To everyone else Happy Thursday!

* * *

Serena rushed from the room, hoping that this palace was familiar enough that she would easily be able to find her way around. In her running, she ran straight into Diamond.

"Serenity, what's wrong?"

"Where is he?" Serena demanded.

"Who?" Diamond replied, answering her with a look of confusion.

"Darien."

"I assure you he isn't here. I won't let him near you, ever again."

Serena shook her head, pulling herself out of his embrace to keep going.

"Serenity!" Diamond called.

He caught her once more, holding her closely to him.

"You're hallucinating, my love. No one is here. I assure you."

"But I…he…"

"It's late. I'm sure you were just dreaming. I won't let him near you ever again."

Serenity studied him for a moment, hoping to see a hint that he was lying to her. He would surely know if someone had broken into the palace, especially since Darien had appeared to be caught.

_Maybe it wasn't Darien,_ Serena thought. _Or maybe I really was dreaming. But what about Rini…?_

Before she knew it, Diamond had gently pulled her back towards her room. Giving in to his soft touch, Serena decided she would look into it tomorrow. For now she was content to rest in Diamond's arms, but as she slipped into her dreams her last conscious thought was wondering if maybe Darien would come for her, or if seeing him had simply given her false hope.

* * *

Hotaru knocked on the door again, groaning in annoyance.

"Come on, Darien, you're late," she muttered.

When no answer came the young teen turned the handle, finding it was unlocked, and entered. Seeing no one, Hotaru stepped inside. Her senses told her that no one was there, but she still glanced into the adjoining rooms.

"Darien?"

The bed sat against the far wall, made and obviously not slept in the night before. Suddenly worried, Hotaru ran back to the dining hall where the rest of the scouts and the generals had gathered with King Endymion as well as Luna and Artemis.

"Hotaru, what's wrong?" Michelle asked.

"Darien's gone!" she exclaimed.

"I'll have the grounds searched immediately," King Endymion decided. "Luna, Artemis, please inform everyone of what you have found while I am gone. Don't worry, Hotaru. We'll find him. He couldn't have gone far."

As the monarch swept from the room Luna cleared her throat.

"Artemis and I seem to have figured out the driving force behind Prince Diamond's motives. It appears he did in fact exist in the Silver Millennium-"

"But if that's true then what does that make Endymion?" Mina demanded.

"If you let us finish," Artemis replied. "We will explain."

Mina bit her lip but remained silent.

"It seems that Prince Diamond suggested a treaty be made between the Moon Kingdom and the Black Moon clan. Since they were former members of the Moon Kingdom, it was believed that Serenity would agree to it. While she was very reluctant, he finally agreed to consider the alliance. To strengthen the treaty, he proposed a marriage between himself and Princess Serenity."

"However," Luna picked up. "In this time, our princess had met Prince Endymion. Queen Serenity offered an alliance, without forcing her daughter into marriage. But Prince Diamond refused, saying he wanted Princess Serenity as his wife. Not wanting to drag Serenity into this, Queen Serenity simply sent him away. By then Endymion and Serenity were engaged, and Earth was meeting its downfall."

"We lost track of what was happening on Nemesis. No one even wondered what became of it when the Silver Alliance fell. Even Queen Serenity probably had no thoughts about the evil kingdom. It seems Diamond somehow managed to either transport himself into the future, or found a way to live an immortal life."

"Is it possible he was reborn, like us?" Ken asked.

Luna and Artemis exchanged glances.

"If he was there during the attack," Luna slowly said. "I suppose it would have been possible."

"He would have been killed, and therefore reborn like everyone else," Artemis added.

"So, we just have to figure out if that's what happened," Greg said.

"And if it is," Amy replied. "We'll have to find out who they really are in this lifetime, and how they got their memories back."

King Endymion returned then with a solemn expression. "He was spotted leaving the palace late last night."

"Where would he go?" Andrew wondered.

"Judging on the direction he took off in, I'd say he went to find Serena."

* * *

Darien pulled uselessly at the chains binding him to the stone wall. He didn't know how long he had been there, but he assumed it had been at least several hours. His throat was sore from screaming, as if he hoped someone would hear him and set him free. He ached from putting up a fight against the non-human guards. Though concealed by the black coloring, blood had stained his tuxedo. Somewhere along the way he'd lost his hat and mask.

_There has to be a way out of here. I have to get to Serena._

When a door opened, Darien lifted his head. Loud and precise footsteps approached, stopping outside his cell. Keys jangled and someone entered. Darien glared at the man in white.

"Prince Endymion, how the mighty have fallen."

"Where is she? What have you done to her?"

"I assure you, I've done nothing she hasn't wanted."

Darien's eyes narrowed. "Where is she?"

"Don't worry. She knows you're here. Apparently she doesn't want to see you."

"You're lying!"

Diamond calmly leaned back against the wall across from Darien. He crossed his arms and watched as his prisoner began yanking on the chains again.

"They won't come loose," Diamond stated.

"If you want to live you will let me see Serena, NOW!" Darien seethed.

"I told you she didn't want to come down here. She is mine now, Endymion. She loves me."

"You don't know what love is. Not if you have to lie in order to gain their trust. She never loved you, and she never will. Serena, Serenity, will always love me, in any life. And I will always love her, and no dream or evil prince is going to change that."

Diamond's hands clenched into fists. Losing his temper, he struck his enemy. Darien fell against the chains. Darien chuckled slightly.

"She'll know I'm here. You don't have the ability to hide that fact."

"You don't know she'll come looking for you."

"You don't her at all then. It might take a while, but she will come. I know she will."

"You will never get her back."

"I think he already has," a new voice said.

Darien slowly looked up, his eyes meeting the light blue of his lover's. Holding tightly to her hand was her small pink-haired daughter.

"Serena," he whisperd.

"Darien," she replied.

"Diamond!" Sapphire shouted. "The sailor scouts are here. The generals are with them."

"What?" Diamond demanded.

Sapphire stopped short upon seeing Serena and Rini. "What's going on?"

"Your brother's been caught in his lie," Darien said.

"Diamond, I don't understand," Serena said. "Why?"

"You belong with someone from the Moon Kingdom. Not this Earth scum!" Diamond shouted.

"She doesn't belong with someone who was banished from the Moon Kingdom!"

Diamond moved to raise his arm again, but was stopped by Serena.

"Please, stop this," she begged. "Let him go."

Diamond froze, staring into Serena's eyes. He slowly dropped his hand before tearing his eyes from her. Serena took a step away from him and knelt by Darien.

"Diamond, we have more problems than this right now," Sapphire said.

"Let them enter," Diamond said softly. "It no longer matters."

"But, Di-"

Diamond held up a hand to silence him.

"Is he your choice, Serenity?"

Serena silently nodded.

Without another word, Diamond walked out. Sapphire picked up the spare keys and handed them to Rini who ran them over to Serena.

"Sapphire, make sure he's alright," Serena requested.

"I advise you leave sooner rather than later, Princess," he replied. "I will send your friends in this direction."

She nodded in thanks before freeing Darien from his chains. Immediately he pulled Serena to him. She smiled softly as she wound her arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry, Serena."

"Apologize later," she replied. "We should get out of here before Diamond changes his mind."

* * *

"Aw man, I was ready for a fight," Sailor Jupiter muttered as the guards dropped their weapons and vanished.

"Something's wrong," Uranus replied. "They wouldn't just disappear like that."

"Do you think something happened inside?" Saturn asked.

"Only one way to find out," Mars answered, rushing down the path.

"Serena!" Sailor Venus suddenly exclaimed.

The group looked to the entrance of the palace, where Darien slowly collapsed, pulling Serena down with him. Kunzite and Nephrite rushed forward, gently pushing Serena and Rini away to help Darien to his feet.

"What were you thinking?" Kunzite demanded. "Darien, you could have been killed!"

"I wasn't."

"Serena, are you back in your right state of mind?" Sailor Earth asked.

Serena nodded, her eyes never leaving Darien's.

"I can't believe you actually thought Diamond was your soul mate," Venus muttered. "Honestly, Serena. What got into you?"

"Diamond isn't evil. But something in there is. Let's get Darien back to the Crystal Palace. Then we can come back to stop whatever negative forces are here."

* * *

Diamond threw open the doors and entered Wiseman's room.

"I wondered when you'd be back," he said.

Diamond crossed to the window, seeing the reunion that was taking place below.

"If you cannot have her, why should he? Just say the word and all will die," Wiseman said. "We can destroy them all. But first we need the silver crystal."

"She's happy," Diamond said, as said girl looked up to the window.

"Diamond, certainly she deserves more than him. Don't you think you would be the best man for her to be with? Darien broke her heart at the first sign of danger. You would never hurt her. You would protect her. She will never be happy with him."

"Diamond!" Sapphire shouted, bursting into the room. "The four witches have been killed. Emerald is alive but unconscious."

Diamond glared accusingly at Wiseman. "What did you do?"

"They were useless. The only one I need for my plan is you."

With a strong burst of energy, Wiseman sent the brothers back. Sapphire was hit directly and collapsed against the wall. Sapphire groaned in pain and struggled to rise for a moment before falling back down.

"Sapphire!" Diamond shouted.

As he neared the younger man, Diamond was thrown back by an invisible force guarding his brother.

"You will get the silver crystal," Wiseman said. "Or he will die. You are no longer in charge, Diamond."

Negative energy surged around the castle. Wiseman's power strengthened. Outside, the gates closed and black walls of energy rose up, trapping everyone inside.


	17. Chapter 17

PR: Hey, guys, this is Persephone Rosamunde. My friend keeps bugging me to try writing authors notes in this way, so I figured I would get him to leave me alone and try this little skit thing. By the way, his author name here is Shaded Truths, and if you like Kingdom Hearts, Harry Potter, or Yu Yu Hakusho you should totally check out his stories. And even if you don't know what the Hades any of them are, check it out anyway.

Shaded Truths: (sweat drops) You're making me sound desperate.

PR: Shut up, you did it to me. I would also like to say a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter, and although this chapter strays from the story line I wanted to give some sort of update this week and this was all I could get out. Anyway, with us to do the disclaimer is Prince Diamond

Shaded Truths: Why do I have to be here? I don't like Diamond.

Diamond: What did I do? I only want to save my dear Serenity from the clutches of that monster.

Shaded Truths: You're obsessed.

PR: (mutters to self) usually he just says that me… (steps between the two) Knock it off, boys, we have a time limit here. So, this chapter is just an extra since it's a short week for me and I wanted to give my awesome readers something until I could get a decent real chapter done

Diamond: (glares) You injured my brother and you're not going to even reassure the readers, or me, he's alive?

PR: This is an important piece, and it focuses entirely on you, so don't complain.

Shaded Truths: You gave him his own chapter?

PR: (shrugs) I thought I should give his and Sapphire's backstory.

Diamond: You've made me seem like the bad guy. No one will care for my backstory.

PR: Actually Naoko Takuchi made you the bad guy. I always thought you were hot and have been totally rooting for you.

Shaded Truths: (gags)

PR: Baka. Anyway, Diamond, the disclaimer please

Diamond: Persephone Rosamunde owns nothing but the two older children of my darling Serenity and that barbaric earth prince.

* * *

_2 years before current events…_

Diamond ran his hand through his bedraggled hair as he groggily took the stairs to the second floor apartment he shared with his brother. He turned the key and let himself in, sighing as he leaned back against the door. A groan from the other room caught his attention.

"Sapphire, that makes no sense. Why do I need to know this anyway, it's not like I'm majoring in mathematics."

"But you need to pass the class to graduate, let me explain again."

Diamond wandered into the doorway of the kitchen, seeing his younger brother sitting at the table with a green-haired classmate. As if sensing his presence, Sapphire glanced up.

"You're home late," he said, glancing at the clock as if enforcing this fact.

Diamond shrugged. "How are you, Emerald?"

Emerald smiled. "I'm much better now, Diamond."

"I think that's enough for tonight, Em. We can continue tomorrow?" Sapphire asked.

"Right," she replied, quickly packing her things.

With a flirtatious smile to Diamond, she saw herself out. Hearing the door close behind her, Diamond shook his head.

"Did you get dinner at work at least?" Sapphire asked.

"No. I'm not hungry. I have things to get done before class tomorrow."

"Diamond, you can't pull another all-nighter," Sapphire replied. "When will you let me get a job of my own? Have them cut back your hours, I'll get a job and pick up the slack from that."

"You need to focus on schooling," Diamond replied, turning and walking back towards the bedrooms.

Sapphire rose to follow him.

"And you don't? You're in far more intensive courses than I am, Diamond. I'm going to pay my half of the rent. What would mother and father think if they knew their eldest son's grades were suffering because he's being stubborn?"

Diamond sighed, his eyes traveling to the photograph on his nightstand. "I promised to take care of you as well as I could. That's what I intend to do. It's better my grades suffer so yours can get you a decent job in a few years."

"You look exhausted. You and I both know you won't handle much more of this."

"I graduate in a couple months. I'll be fine."

Sapphire frowned but let it drop.

"Are you ever going to take Emerald on a date? Or are you going to keep pretending these tutoring sessions are really worth anything?"

"Our relationship is platonic," Sapphire replied. "She's made that much obvious. Apparently she prefers older blondes."

"I apologize for taking all of the genes for looks."

"You're not conceded at all. Then again, you certainly received more chocolates than I did for Valentine's Day."

Diamond smiled. "No need to be jealous, brother. Anyway, I'm not going to settle for one of those giggling, blushing school girls. I only wish you would raise your own standards."

Sapphire rolled his eyes. "I have a couple assignments to finish up. Get some sleep?"

"I might," Diamond replied.

Sapphire frowned but left his older sibling alone. Diamond moved to the desk and pulled out one of his textbooks, but as hard as he tried his mind kept wandering.

He knew he was being stubborn. But he had promised himself that his brother was first priority. Their parents, geologists, were killed while doing surveys after a major earthquake several years before. Neither had taken into account the risk of tsunami, and they were unable to get to high ground soon enough. Diamond had immediately returned home to his brother, and the two moved to Tokyo soon after. Both boys were smart and had gotten into schools with generous scholarships. Unfortunately housing had not been covered and Diamond worked full time at a warehouse to make ends meet.

Sapphire often brought up the aspect of his own job; after all he was one of the top students in his class. But Diamond wasn't about to let that advantage be taken from his brother.

Slamming the text book closed, Diamond stood up and stretched. By then it was late into the night and Diamond wandered from his room. Sapphire was still in the kitchen, slumped over the table. Diamond smiled softly before shaking him awake. The younger sibling slowly woke up and made his way into his own bedroom for the night.

Diamond turned the lights off, catching a glimpse of the full moon outside. He was suddenly reminded of the story of the beautiful moon princess.

"Serenity, you would be the only girl I would ever love," he mused. "Beautiful, compassionate, strong-willed. You're perfect in every way. Would it be too much to ask for something that good in my life?"

* * *

Diamond sighed in relief as his final class of the day was dismissed. His classes extended well into the evening and it was dark by the time he neared home. He was moving quickly, running in hopes of getting out of the pouring rain. This was likely what led to him stumbling and falling to the wet sidewalk. Looking over his shoulder as he rose, Diamond found a small form huddled just inside an ally. Unsure if the man was alive, Diamond gently shook his shoulder.

"Sir?"

"Help me…" the man whispered.

Diamond examined the old man, realizing the dark water was actually mixed with blood. Less than an hour later Diamond found himself helping the old man into his apartment.

"Sapphire!"

Said brother appeared in the doorway giving Diamond a questioning glance before rushing to his aid. The man had fallen unconscious once more and the two lowered him to the couch.

"Who's this?" Sapphire asked.

"I don't know, but he's injured."

"Diamond, are you insane? He could be dangerous!"

"Make some tea. I'm going to see how badly he's wounded."

Sapphire immediately made his way into the kitchen. When he returned with a hot cup of tea, Diamond was finishing wrapping what seemed to be a rather serious wound on the man's chest.

"Why didn't you take him to the hospital?" Sapphire asked.

"I started that way, but he said he couldn't go there. I couldn't leave him there."

"Something tells me you should have," Sapphire mumbled. "I have a bad feeling about him."

"He's an injured man. He can't do anything. You worry too much. I couldn't just leave him in the rain, Sapphire. Maybe something good will come of this."

* * *

Much to the boys' confusion, by the next morning the man's wound was healed. When the two rose, the man was standing at the window.

"Sir?" Diamond questioned.

"Diamond, Sapphire," the man replied.

"How do you know our names?" Sapphire demanded.

"To repay you for your kindness, I want to help you."

"Help us?" Diamond asked.

"I have been looking for you for some time now."

"Why? Who are you?"

"I am Wiseman, and you are the princes of Nemesis, home of the Black Moon Clan."

"Diamond, he's insane."

"You wish for proof, Sapphire? You always were the more logical of the two, demanding evidence for even the smallest of things. Very well. I will restore your memories. The memories of your past lives."

* * *

_Prince Diamond had always loved her from afar, the beautiful Moon princess. She was the essence of purity, and her kindness known around the galaxy. If anyone would listen to his pleas, it would be her. Unfortunately the protective sailor scouts would not let him anywhere near her. This was the reason he had donned his disguise and enlisted the help of his brother and Lady Emerald in sneaking into the ball._

_It didn't matter that Serenity had a husband, and a daughter. Though Diamond swore he was only there to speak with Princess Serenity regarding an alliance, his brother and Emerald knew very well that he was also there to simply see the girl._

_He had made several attempts over the years to winning Serenity's heart. She showed no interest, her innocence not entirely allowing her to understand his true intentions. He had backed off, though only slightly, when Endymion entered the picture. Now he was back, and fully intended to make his intentions known._

_What no one expected was forces from Earth to attack. While Diamond searched for Serenity, praying she was still alive, Sapphire and Emerald fled with the rest of the ill-fated guests. The two were separated from Diamond, and died with the others. Diamond finally found Serenity, just in time to her mourning the loss of her husband. Before he could stop her, Serenity lost control of the silver crystal, destroying all that was left of the Moon Kingdom. Diamond vowed to find her in the next life, and protect her from a similar fate._

* * *

Diamond looked to the crumpled form of his brother. "I will protect you in this life, Sapphire. No matter what that means."

Emerald stepped forward. "Diamond…"

"Watch over Sapphire," Diamond commanded. "Whatever you do, do not let anything happen to him."

Emerald nodded.

Diamond turned on his heel and went out to meet the awaiting sailor scouts.


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

I apologize for the short chapter, but it's the end of the semester and I really shouldn't have even taken the time to write given all I have to do. But I wanted at least something to post. If I do not post next week, I promise a post the week after.

Sailor Moon and related characters do not belong to me.

* * *

"We're trapped," Venus said.

"World Shaking!"

The attack flew at the closed gates, disintegrating against the invisible force protecting it.

"I don't understand, I thought Diamond was going to let us go," Serena said.

"There's been a change of plans."

Darien rose up, putting his arms protectively around Serena as Diamond appeared before them. Kunzite watched his prince warily, but said nothing.

"Diamond, what-"

"Hand over the silver crystal."

Serena's hand instantly clutched the compact.

"Serenity, hand it over, and I will make sure you and your friends get out of here safely."

"You said we could leave!" Darien shouted.

"Why do you need the crystal?" Venus demanded.

"What are you planning?" Kunzite asked.

"You guys stop," Serena said.

The scouts and generals looked to her questioningly. Darien's hold on her tightened as he felt her begin to move forward. She looked over her shoulder at him, her soft blue eyes pleading. Trying to hold a level gaze, Darien found he could not deny Serena when she had her mind set on something. He slowly released her, earning a soft smile. Serena turned to Diamond, stepping up to him.

"Let us help you."

"Serena, you can't be serious!" Mars exclaimed. "He kidnapped you and-"

"I went willingly," Serena corrected.

Diamond's expression softened. "Things have gotten out of hand. Please. I just need the silver crystal."

"Why?"

Diamond hesitated. Serena reached forward, grabbing his hand.

"Diamond," she said softly, "I know none of this is your plan. You have no use for the silver crystal and had more than one chance before to take it. Who are you working for?"

"His name is Wiseman," Diamond said. "I don't know much else, other than he's from this time. Sapphire, Emerald, and I are the only ones from your time."

"What does Wiseman want with the crystal?"

"I don't know. But he's going to kill Sapphire if I don't bring it back."

"Serena, you don't honestly believe him, do you?" Sailor Earth asked.

She regarded Diamond for a moment before turning back to the scouts and generals. "I think I have a plan."

* * *

Luna gasped as she looked at the screen in front of her.

"Luna?" Artemis asked.

"I believe I've found something that might just prove Serenity right," she answered.

King Endymion looked over the two cats to see what Luna had found.

"Diamond is being controlled by a being known as Wiseman who was a minor adviser for the Negaverse in the Silver Millennium," Luna explained. "He was killed during the war, but vowed to return when he was least expected for revenge against the Moon Kingdom."

"So he comes across the reincarnation of Prince Diamond and uses him as a puppet to get close to the silver crystal," Artemis said.

"If that is so, why has earth not been destroyed yet?" Endymion wondered. "He would have taken the crystal as soon as he could."

"Wiseman would have likely been weak," Artemis surmised. "At least weaker than in the previous life. He likely sought Diamond out because he couldn't get the silver crystal alone."

"Diamond would want Serena, and getting her close to Diamond gave Wiseman the advantage he needed to obtain the crystal," Luna finished.

"I should have known," King Endymion whispered. "Serenity must have realized this before…"

"Don't blame yourself," Luna replied.

"I hope the scouts can come to these conclusions as well," Artemis replied.

Luna turned her gaze back to the screen. "I just hope they rescue Serena and survive."

* * *

With Wiseman's barrier still around him, Sapphire somehow managed to prop himself up against the wall. Emerald had gotten inside, and was kneeling next to him, every so often sending a hateful glare to Wiseman. Even with the barrier blocking them, both could sense the rising of Wiseman's energy and knew they were all doomed if he got his hands on the silver crystal. Already the room before them had melted into blackness, only the hallway from the entrance to this main ground remained.

"I always knew Diamond was wrong to trust him," she muttered.

"Diamond's a good man, he trusts everyone," Sapphire replied. "After all we've been through it's good that he's so trusting. It just gets us all into trouble."

"What if Diamond doesn't come back?"

"He will, Emerald. Diamond has never failed me before. I'm not going to doubt him now."

Emerald leaned her head against Sapphire's shoulder.

"Emerald…if this ends badly…"

"It won't."

"If it does, I love you."

Emerald pulled back slightly, her eyes meeting the blue of Sapphire's.

"I always have," Sapphire admitted.

Before Emerald could reply, their attention was drawn to the arrival of not only Diamond but the sailor scouts and generals as well. Darien had returned, in his Prince Endymion armor; and Serena had transformed into Sailor Moon.

"Release Sapphire," Diamond ordered.

"Have you brought back the silver crystal?"

"Perhaps he wasn't clear enough," Sailor Moon said. "Release them or you will face the consequences of your crimes against Crystal Tokyo."

They were hit with a surge of negative energy.

"Give me the silver crystal or I will take it by force!" Wiseman shouted.

Wiseman let loose a burst of energy. Realizing its target, Diamond knocked Sailor Moon out of its path. The scout tumbled to the floor, with Darien immediately rushing to her side. Being hit full on by the attack, Diamond was thrown back. Almost immediately his white suit was stained with dark blood.

"Diamond!" Sapphire shouted.

Sailor Moon jumped to her feet and ran to his side. Sapphire struggled to stand, fighting against the barrier that refused to give.

"Diamond, wake up," Sailor Moon whispered, crawling to him.

Diamond slowly reached for her hand. "Please protect Sapphire…even when you defeat Wiseman, promise me my brother will be alright."

"Everything will be alright. I promise. You won't die."

"I think it's a little late for that," Diamond replied.

"No. I won't let you die!"

"I've always loved you, Serenity," Diamond whispered, reaching up to caress her cheek. "I always will."

"Diamond!" Sailor Moon shouted, tears in her eyes.

Darien knelt beside her, slowly pulling her against him. She turned into his shoulder, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You're next Sailor Moon," Wiseman said, the dark energy once more gathering in the palm of his hand.

"No, you are," she replied, turning from Darien to face Wiseman. "I won't let Diamond's death be in vain."

Sailor Moon's hand waved over the compact, revealing the silver crystal hidden inside. Closing her eyes, she summoned her strength and held the crystal up. The sailor scouts immediately took their cue to line up, already preparing to transfer their own energy to her. After what occurred last time the silver crystal had been used the scouts were more than wary about her using it to seal Wiseman away for all eternity. But their princess had insisted, and while Wiseman was potentially a stronger opponent than Beryl, Sailor Moon's ability to control the crystal had improved as well.

Darien went to Rini. He was still weak from his capture, and while he would risk his own life to protect Serena, she had been clear that someone had to protect their future daughter.

"Sailor Moon can defeat him, right Darien?" Rini asked innocently.

Darien looked down into the innocent red eyes. "Of course. Sailor Moon always wins."

Not at all reassured, Rini focused her attention on Sailor Moon. Darien watched the young child intently, wondering if it were possible that she knew something they did not.

A beam of dark energy shot out from Wiseman's hand. At the same time, the light from the silver crystal swirled around Serena, transforming her into Princess Serenity.

"Moon crystal power!" she shouted.

A beam of light shot out, meeting Wiseman's energy halfway. The two powers clashed, cancelling each other out in the fight for dominance.

_It's not enough_, Serena thought in horror. _I'm not strong enough to beat him._

She wavered slightly and Wiseman's energy advanced.

"Serena," Darien murmured, feeling her weakness.

Rini looked up at him, seeing his worried gaze resting on the moon princess. She felt his hand shaking, as if were using all of his own strength to prevent himself from going to save Serena.

Wiseman's energy suddenly broke through that of the silver crystal, but dispersed before it could cause any harm.

Even so, Serena took a weak step back. Her arms fell and she collapsed, the crystal clutched against her chest.

"Serena!" the scouts shouted.

"I'm alright," Serena reassured them, raising the crystal once more as Wiseman attacked again.

_No, she has to beat him,_ Rini thought. _If she dies I'll never see Mama again…_


	19. Chapter 19

AN: Thanks so much to all who reviewed and have reviewed at some point in this series! I do have ideas for a sequel (following the third season storyline) but not much as of right now. If I have people wanting me to continue this odd series, I can though it will be probably a few months before you see it here as I have another fanfic that is higher priority at the moment. Otherwise, this alternate series will end next chapter.

I know I normally update on Fridays, but I shall post the final chapter Friday (if I remember...I have less than half of a scene to write in it so it's ready to go). I wanted to make up for not updating like I should have, but not finals is over and I can relax and write for a while.

* * *

Serena took a weak step back. Her arms fell and she collapsed, the crystal clutched against her chest.

"Serena!" the scouts shouted.

"I'm alright," Serena reassured them, raising the crystal once more as Wiseman attacked again.

_No, she has to beat him,_ Rini thought. _If she dies I'll never see Mama again…_

* * *

"You will never defeat me Sailor Moon," Wiseman proclaimed.

"Mother," Endymion whispered.

He looked to Darien, who stood beside the youngest princess as they helplessly watched the future queen use her strength against their enemy. Terra, as Sailor Earth, had joined the scouts, pouring forth their energy in determination to keep their princess alive.

_This must be what Father meant by feeling helpless in battle,_ Endymion thought as his gaze returned to Darien. Suddenly he was distracted by a strange glow. _Rini…could it be?_

At the same time Rini had looked down to her hands, where a small glowing crystal was slowly beginning to form. Darien's hand tightened on her shoulder and she looked up at him before looking to Serena, who had once again fearlessly risen against Wiseman.

"You're the only one who can help her," Endymion said. "Rini, you're the heiress to the moon kingdom. You have the power to save Serena."

Rini smiled and rushed toward her future mother. Stepping up to her side.

"Rini, what are you-"

"I can help you!" Rini said.

Serena frowned but nodded, and the two raised their arms in unison.

Wiseman felt their strengthened power and faltered slightly. The beam of dark energy was pushed back by the mix of the two crystals.

"Moon crystal power!" the two princesses shouted.

"Mercury Planet Power!"

"Venus Planet Power!"

"Earth Planet Power!"

"Mars Planet Power!"

"Jupiter Planet Power!"

"Saturn Planet Power!"

"Uranus Planet Power!"

"Neptune Planet Power!"

Endymion looked up to see Darien was gone. With a hand on her shoulder and the other on her waist, he stood behind her. Surprised by his actions Serena cast a glance over her shoulder, meeting his eyes before turning her focus back to sealing Wiseman away forever.

"I love you," Darien whispered.

Rini smiled as the crystal glowed brighter and its power overcame the negative energy of Wiseman. With a flash, he was gone and the castle destroyed. Though no one had known what to expect, the continued darkness was not it. As smoke and debris cleared the scouts suddenly saw their princess being cradled in Darien's arms. Sensing trouble they rushed forward, with Mina being the first to reach them.

"Serena! Serena!" she cried.

"I don't understand, she was fine," Raye said. "She has to wake up."

Amy quickly scanned Serena with her computer. "We have to do something fast. We can't lose her."

"We have to get back to the castle," Terra said. "Someone there can help her."

"It's too far away, Terra, we'll never make it in time," Endymion replied.

"We have to at least try! We can't let her die!"

Amara knelt beside Mina. "Dammit, Serena, if you put us through this again…"

Amy suddenly threw her computer down and grabbed Serena's wrist. Without hesitation she moved a shaking hand to the pulse point at her throat. Biting her lip she sat back on her heels and hung her head. A tear slowly moved down her cheek.

"No!" Terra shouted.

Endymion grabbed his sister as she sobbed and fought against him. "Stop it! It'll be alright!"

"We don't exist anymore you idiot! Don't you realize this?!"

"We haven't disappeared yet! We'll think of something."

Hotaru gently reached out to place her hand on Darien's shoulder. He pulled Serena's body against him, burrowing his face in her hair.

* * *

King Endymion frowned as the crystal encasing his wife melted away. He rushed forward.

"Serena! Serena!" he shouted.

Luna and Artemis ran into the room, having just seen the blast on their moniters.

"King Endymion-" Artemis stopped short at the sight before them.

The normally composed and serious king was bent over his dead wife, his shoulder shaking with sobs.

"No," Luna whispered.

The black cat immediately sprinted across the room, jumping to land on the bed beside her queen.

"Serena!"

King Endymion slowly caressed the queen's face.

"They couldn't have lost," Artemis murmured as he jumped up to sit beside Luna.

"No," Endymion said without looking up. "If they had lost the world would have been destroyed."

"What does this mean? Will Endymion, Terra, and Rini vanish? What about Crystal Tokyo? The Moon Kingdom?"

Endymion shook his head. "I don't know."

* * *

Serena looked around the white room she found herself in. It was familiar, but she was unsure of when she had ever been here before. As she looked around, objects began slowly fading into existence. First a bed, then nightstand and curtains.

"Mom," Serena whispered, as the woman in the bed became visible, a small bundle in her arms.

A moment passed before a lively young girl with short blonde pigtails burst into the room.

"Mama!" she exclaimed.

"Shh! Serena, you'll wake your brother," Ken scolded.

Ikuko smiled. "Come meet him, Serena."

Childish eyes lit up as she gently climbed onto the bed and sat next to her mother.

"He's so small," she said, looking down at her brother in awe.

"You were that small once as well, Sere," Ken replied.

"Hi, Sammy," little Serena said in a shouted whisper. "I'm Serena, your big sister. You're too small to play with now, but when you're older we'll have lots of fun! I'll show you all the best places to hide at the park and we'll go for ice cream in the summer! We'll be best friends, and since I'm your big sister I'll take care of you! I promise! No one will pick on your or hurt you or be mean like kids are to Melvin at school. Nothing will ever hurt you, and I'll always protect you!"

Serena gasped, tears in her eyes as she watched the little family.

"I'm so sorry I failed you," she whispered.

A few minutes passed as little Serena bonded with her new brother until her father handed her money and whispered for her to run down to the gift shop for some flowers. Serena spared her parents and baby brother a single glance before she followed her younger self. Buying a small bouquet of red roses, little Serena decided to wander the halls before she went back to her mother's room. She was just passing through the children's ward when she heard quiet sobbing.

Curious, little Serena peeked into the room, seeing the boy with short dark hair sitting on the edge of his bed. He looked slightly older than her, a few years but he was still young, and all alone. She walked in, stopping by the bed to look up at him.

"Why are you crying?" she asked.

"My friend's leaving today, and I'll never see him again," the boy said. "I lost my memory and he's the only friend I have."

"No he isn't," little Serena replied. "My name is Serena, and I can be your friend too."

The boy looked up at her in surprise. "You can call me Darien."

Serena smiled and pulled a rose out of her bouquet.

"Here," she said. "My mommy had a baby boy, and Daddy sent me to get these flowers for her because everyone deserves flowers when they're in the hospital."

The boy slowly reached out to take the rose. "Thank you, Serena."

She smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, Darien. You'll see your friend again someday. I just know it. I should go before Mommy and Daddy worry. Bye, Darien!"

Serena softly chuckled as her younger self skipped merrily from the room. She was about to leave when someone else entered. A boy who appeared the same age as Darien, with strange curly white hair.

At the moment he was alone, and the sadness in his eyes matched that of Darien's.

"I have to say goodbye now," he mumbled.

Darien jumped down from his bed.

"I'll come visit you!" the white-haired boy exclaimed before hesitating. "If Mom and Dad let me."

"We'll see each other again," Darien said.

"Right," his friend agreed. "Someday. We have to find the Moon Princess."

"And see which of us she chooses," Darien added with a smirk.

"Diamond," a slightly older woman called as she entered the room with a younger boy on her hip. "We have to be going now. Say goodbye to your friend."

"Okay, Mom," Diamond replied before turning back to Darien.

Darien held out the rose he had just received from Serena. "Here. So you won't forget me."

Surprised Diamond accepted the rose. "I could never forget you, Darien. You're my best friend."

"We'll always be best friends."

Diamond nodded. "I guess…for now…this is….goodbye."

"Goodbye."

"Darien had been my first friend," Diamond murmured from his place leaning against the wall.

Surprised, Serena turned to face him. "Diamond? You were the friend that was leaving Darien?"

He gave her a simple nod, watching his younger self be taken away by his now-dead parents. At the same time, the very rose Darien had just given him appeared in his hand. He regarded it with new eyes, as if he were seeing it for the first time.

"I never meant to hurt him," Diamond explained, looking to Serena with saddened eyes. "This memory was the only thing keeping me from seeking revenge on Endymion, beyond taking you of course. Fate works in strange ways. I never saw Darien again, but I never forgot him. Endymion and Diamond were mortal enemies in the Silver Millennium. But in this life…even years later Darien was the only person I truly considered a friend."

"I didn't know…that you had met Darien before…" Serena said.

Diamond finally turned from the final scene of his short-lived friendship to the young girl he believed he loved. Darien's hospital room slowly faded into a simple white hall.

"I never questioned where the rose came from. I considered it a token of Darien's friendship…I never realized it had truly come from you."

"Darien chose to give it to you," Serena replied.

"And now I am returning it to you," Diamond said.

Slightly confused Serena reached out to grasp the thorn-less stem of the flower.

"Darien won the Moon Princess," he said. "I can accept that. We both know who you love, and I'm afraid I will never change that. Go back to him. He deserves someone like you. Just promise me something."

"Anything."

Diamond softly smiled, taking Serena's hands in his own, the rose in the center. "Be with him. You two are meant to be and nothing will be enough to truly come between you. Darien loves you more than anything, stay with him. Protect him, even from himself when he makes foolish mistakes like letting you go. He loves you with all of his heart."

"I know."

"Could you also…make sure Sapphire stays out of too much trouble? Just check in on him every few weeks or so…hopefully Emerald will get her act together and realize who her true love really is."

Serena nodded.

"One more thing. Tell Darien…that I'm sorry, and that I hope someday he forgives me."

"You're not coming back are you?"

"I'm afraid not. I'm sorry for all that I've done. I was blinded by my past self's hatred…so much that I made so many mistakes. I am so sorry for deceiving you, Serena."

"You have nothing to apologize for. You're already forgiven. And I'm sure Darien has already forgiven you too."

"You should get back to them before they worry too much."

Serena sighed.

"Goodbye, Serena."

"This isn't the end for you, Diamond. I promise."

"i can only hope you're right," he whispered, before leaning in to capture her lips in one final kiss.

* * *

I apologize to anyone who was hoping to see Fiore, but that movie just didn't fit in to my storyline. One more chapter and this fic will be over.


	20. Chapter 20

Ah…the final chapter. Another fanfic complete. Be on the lookout for another fanfic after this. It will probably be spring before I begin though, so please have patience.

A million thanks to everyone who has reviewed, not only this story but Change and Twisted as well. Special thanks to those who have been with me here since the beginning, I never expected my alternate series to have any readers, let alone as many as I've gotten. Anyway, onto the last part of Warped.

* * *

Darien leaned down, placing a soft, lingering kiss on Serena's lips. As he pulled back Mina gasped as the silver crystal glowed brightly over Serena's chest. A moment later her eyes fluttered open.

"Serena!" Mina exclaimed, not giving Serena a moment's breath before embracing her.

Serena laughed at her cousin. "Mina, I can't breathe."

"Sorry!" the scout of Venus instantly pulled back.

"I swear, Serena, if you ever do that again…" Amara began.

Michelle smiled and grabbed her friend's arm. "We were very worried, Princess, and glad you're alright."

Serena nodded, suddenly looking to Darien who still held her in his arms. Without hesitation she turned toward him, winding her arms around his neck. A moment passed before he finally relaxed, returning her welcomed embrace.

"I love you," he whispered.

Serena pulled back to look into his eyes before leaning forward for another kiss.

* * *

King Endymion looked up in surprise as a small hand gasped his own. "Serenity?"

The young queen slowly sat up before she was pulled in the arms of her husband. Luna and Artemis sighed in relief.

"Does this mean Serena is alright after all?" Luna wondered.

Neo-Queen Serenity pulled back from King Endymion to turn to the cats. "Everything will be alright now. We should meet them halfway. I'm sure they'll be weak from battling Wiseman."

King Endymion nodded in agreement.

* * *

The scouts and generals made up a rather large group travelling back to the crystal palace. Once they had left behind the fortress of Wiseman they found the formerly stormy sky had returned to a clear blue. At the end of their long procession, Nephrite was carrying Diamond, now wrapped in a white sheet. Sapphire and Emerald walked alongside him.

"Mama!" Rini suddenly called, breaking away from Serena and Darien.

The two watched as she ran toward the two shapes in the distance. The beautiful woman instantly knelt down, accepting her young daughter into her arms.

"You did wonderful, Rini," she praised. "I'm so proud of you."

Rini beamed, looking up at her mother.

"Mother," Terra said in relief before she and Endymion followed after Rini. Neo-Queen Serenity rose with Rini still in her arms to embrace her older children.

Darien gently placed his hand on Serena's shoulder, smiling at her when she glanced up at him. A moment of their future reunion passed before Neo-Queen Serenity turned to Serena. With a slight tilt of the head the queen managed to get Serena to pull away from Darien so she could say a few words.

"I know what you're thinking," she said. "I've been in your place once. Darien has a lot of explaining to do, give him a chance to do so."

"I will," Serena promised, glancing back at her prince.

Neo-Queen Serenity nodded. "Well, it seems we have a funeral to plan. Sapphire, shall we make arrangements to send him back to your time?"

Sapphire hesitated. "If it's too much trouble-"

"Your brother saved all of us," she replied. "It's the least we can do."

Sapphire quickly bowed. "Thank you, your highness."

Neo-Queen Serenity laughed softly. "No need for formalities."

"Queen Serenity," Emerald said, "will we be banished again?"

"Of course not. You were under the influence of Wiseman, he used your past selves' feelings of betrayal and hatred toward the Moon Kingdom to control you. I wish I would have been able to help before it was too late." Neo-Queen Serenity's eyes strayed to the form in Nephrite's arms. "He will be reborn. You will meet your brother again, Sapphire. But until then, you and Emerald can share your knowledge with no one. Time is a funny thing. The smallest mistake can change its course. The two of you will come upon Diamond again one day. Until then, you will only have each other."

Emerald stepped forward to take Sapphire's hand, smiling in reassurance. Neo-Queen Serenity slowly scanned the rest of the group, regarding them carefully as she stopped on her king's past self.

"Let's get all of you back home, shall we?"

* * *

"You broke up with me because of a dream, which we now know was sent by Wiseman?" Serena asked.

It had been days since they returned to the past, and they had both successfully avoided each other. When they met up at Diamond's funeral, it was inevitable for the long-avoided talk to occur. Now, several hours later, they found themselves at Darien's apartment. The scouts and generals had backed off, going their separate ways after the burial. Trista took Hotaru back to her own apartment to give the prince and princess some privacy. Of course that didn't mean the inner scouts weren't expecting a phone call within the next twenty-four hours, and Amara was anxiously waiting to see if Darien would be the victim of a hit and run anytime soon.

Darien had decided to make them dinner in a desperate attempt to buy time. It had essentially worked, but now with nothing more to distract them they were sitting at opposite ends of his couch facing each other.

"I didn't know who sent it, or if I was just imagining danger," Darien replied. "I couldn't take any chances."

Serena sighed. "Darien, what is it going to take for you to realize I'm not going to die?"

He took a deep breath and moved closer. "I know you're strong, Serena. You always have been, and I don't think anyone can deny that you always will be."

"I sense a 'but' coming here," Serena muttered.

Darien smiled softly. "I have to protect you. I can't ignore the fear that someday I'll fail and I'll lose you forever. If any harm came to you I would never forgive myself."

"After meeting your future self I guess I can't tell you to stop being so overprotective. But next time some mysterious voice tells you to leave me, you better ignore it!"

Darien sighed in relief, realizing he'd been forgiven. He chuckled as he pulled Serena to lay against him and leaned back on the couch. "Of course, Serena."

Smiling in contentment, Serena rested her head on his shoulder. They were silent for a moment, listening to the rain fall against the windows outside.

"Darien," Serena said softly. "Do you remember when we first met?"

"How could I forget? You knocked me down and got mad when I called you Buns. Or are you referring to the first time we met as Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon? You I don't recall much about the first few times I transformed."

"Neither."

Darien gave her a questioning look.

"I didn't put the two together until…well until it was basically laid out in front of me. You were in the hospital after your parents died in a car accident…I was there because Sammy had just been born a few days prior and my father and I were visiting."

"Of course…the rose."

Serena nodded. "Why didn't you tell me you knew Diamond?"

"I never realized it was the same Diamond. I'd actually forgotten about that until now. I suppose by blocking all of the bad memories of that point in my life…I lost the good as well." His hold on Serena tightened. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that was you."

Serena smiled. "I went looking for you a few days later when my father brought me back but, you were gone."

"I was taken to an orphanage the day after Diamond left. He was my best friend for a long time. And you, you were my moon princess."

"Funny how that worked out," Serena muttered, turning so that she was facing him.

With Serena straddling his lap, Darien pulled her closer. Serena willingly leaned forward to press her lips to his. The kiss suddenly became more heated as Darien's fingers tangled in her hair, his other hand slid to her waist to pull her flush against him. Serena gripped the cloth of Darien's shirt, pressing herself against him. Darien groaned, half from the pleasure of having his love in his arms and half from the surging lust. The petite girl pushed him back further so he was lying on the couch with her above him. A few moments of exploration and passion passed before the two parted to catch their breath.

"Marry me," Darien breathed.

Gasping, Serena pulled back her eyes wide. "Don't joke, Darien."

"I'm not joking. We've seen our future, Serena. Even Trista swears it's inevitable. You know I love you, why should we wait any longer?"

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Serena-"

"Darien, I'm the one who rushes into things! You're supposed to be the level-headed control freak! What would the others think if we got married? I'm still in high school, and you're still in university. Not to mention my aunt and uncle would never allow it."

Watching her in contemplation for a moment, Serena's shoulder sagged when he gently moved her off of his lap and disappeared down the hallway.

_Now I've messed up,_ she worried.

But a moment later he reemerged from the bedroom with something in his hand. Nudging the coffee table away from the sofa, he knelt in front of her, placing the small black box in the palm of her hand.

"I've been thinking about this, since realizing I didn't like it at all when I realized you might love another. Yesterday I found out that I've taken enough credits to graduate in just a few months, which means I'll begin my residency by the end of the year. I know I shouldn't ask you to be my wife under those circumstances, it will hard to find time to be together and I'll rarely be able to see you…but I really can't stand the thought of you finding someone else in that time. There is no one else in this world -in this life- that I would rather be with than you."

As he spoke Serena slowly opened the box, revealing a small golden ring with a pink diamond in the shape of a heart and small diamonds surrounding it. She let out another small gasp, as she realized he was, in fact, serious about this ordeal. But was she? Was the carefree teen and untamed princess ready for this commitment?

Darien took her hands and looked up into her eyes. "Serena Tsukino, will you marry me?"


End file.
